Dynasty.

What else can you call the 65 national championships Texas Wesleyan’s table tennis program has won in the past 15 years?

Wesleyan’s domination of college table tennis continued earlier this month, with the program winning five of a possible six titles at the 2017 TMS College Table Tennis National Championships; the wins included the team taking its 13^th coed team championship, according to ramsports.net.

In addition to the coed team title, Wesleyan won women’s team, men’s single, men’s doubles and women’s doubles at the tournament, which was held April 7-9 in Eau Claire, Wis.

The tournament included 250 players from more than 40 universities. Both the coed and women’s teams won their titles for the second year in a row.

Jishan Liang, who on April 8 became the sixth player to win one of the program’s 11 national men’s singles titles, said he “will treasure this moment for a long time.”

“I’m so proud of my university, and I feel as if I am part of a very big family,” said Jishan Liang, who on April 8 became the sixth player to win one of the program’s 11 national men’s singles titles. “My teammates and everyone in my university are so perfect, and I really mean it. I appreciate this so much.”

Liang said that his teammates inspire him to continue to work hard as part of a champion-caliber team.

and players and we all push each other to be better,” said Liang, who along with Zhe Fang captured the men’s doubles title. “Wherever we go to play, we need to keep our level and try to get better so we can perform well. I love table tennis and feel lucky to get a support of university to study and play table tennis.”

Yue Wu said that this year’s competition was “very strong.”

“We had a couple of Olympians participating as well as world champions in different events,” said Wu, who along with Chen Wang won the women’s doubles title. “Going there, I was not sure what to expect but I knew that I need to try my best.”

Wu and Liang personify a largely international roster that includes players from, among other countries, China, Brazil, Jordan, Nepal, and England. At the same time, there are a few Texans, including Bedford’s Adrian Rodriguez.

Texas Wesleyan’s football team is ready.

Ready to play in front of fans. Ready to tackle. And ready to figure out who the team’s leaders will be.

Ready, in other words, for April 22 and the Blue & Gold Game, an intrasquad scrimmage at Farrington Field that head coach Joe Prud’homme says is the apex of the team’s spring workouts.

“Everything we’re doing is kind of geared towards that,” Prud’homme said. “You know, just base offense, base defense and then just trying to have a real good scrimmage.”

There will not be any special teams participating in the scrimmage because they are still perfecting those skills, Prud’homme said.

“[I’m] trying to give everybody pretty much an equal amount of playing time [at the scrimmage] just so we can get everybody evaluated and look at them to give everybody a real shot,” Prud’homme said.

The competitive nature of the players keeps them sharp, Prud’homme said. The competitiveness encourages them to work harder and be better.

“There’s no getting lackadaisical or complacent,” Prud’homme said, “which is great if you’ve got that going in practices all the time and in game situations you do nothing but get better and better and better. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The spring game will be a great tool to help the coaches evaluate the players and identify areas to improve, Prud’homme said.

“We’re excited,” Prud’homme said. “I’m very pleased with their effort and I’m real happy with all the support. Everybody just seems to be ready to see some football and we’re ready to do it as well.”

The men’s basketball team winning the NAIA national championship set an amazing example that Prud’homme hopes to model the football program after.

“They won because they out-willed the other team; they outlasted the other team; they out-toughed the other team,” he said. “They played great defense. They did all the little things and intangibles that you have to do to win. And they did that from the beginning of preseason all the way through their season. The way they just came together and trusted each other. They just basically wanted it worse than anybody else.”

Many of the football players are in “survival mode” but they become more confident in their abilities the chemistry will become even better than it is now, Prud’homme said.

“You kind of feel that piece coming together,” Prud’homme said. “But also, you get to that point when you know exactly what you’re doing on the field to where there’s no hesitation. Then you get stronger in those other areas.”

The team is not only preparing for the spring game, Prud’homme said. They are also trying to install all of the basic skills the team will need to have for a successful season this fall.

“Some people probably think that football is a situation where you just learn it and you do it and that’s what you do,” Prud’homme said. “There’s a lot of things that can change when you come to the line of scrimmage. There’s a lot of things that change between when you take that first step and that second step. All of a sudden things change and you’ve got to be able to adjust and learn to communicate that.”

There is a lot of communication involved on and off the field that the fans don’t always see but is necessary to the game, Prud’homme said.

“There’s a learning curve involved and their attitudes are great,” Prud’homme said. “They’re very positive. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys.”

Justin Arth, freshman quarterback, said the team misses being in front of a crowd and all the excitement that goes along with game day.

“I’m looking forward to making plays against this defense,” said Arth, a business management major.

The players are excited to get back to full hitting and testing their abilities in a game setting not just in practice, Arth said.

“These guys hit hard. We saw it a little bit today, it being the first day in pads, but we’re ready for it,” Arth said at the end of March, right after the team’s first practice in pads.

The players are working hard in practice by  “thudding” instead of full-on tackling so that they can prevent injuries, Arth said.

“Thudding is basically wrapping up with light contact when we are in pads. It’s not full-on hitting and tackling, but it’s still contact,” Arth wrote in a text message.

The team is preparing by working on base offense and defense plays and incorporating seven-on-seven in practices to instill confidence in the players, Arth said.

“I mean we’ve gotta be confident in ourselves and confident in our abilities,” Arth said. “And have that confidence that kind of spreads over to everybody and raises their game up as we step up our game too.”

Freshman middle linebacker Dewaun Colbert said the team cannot wait to step out onto the field and be able to go full speed and tackle again in front of a game-day crowd.

“I mean that’s me. I love to be in the spotlight,” Colbert said. “I love the crowd and all the fans and everything.”

Colbert said he uses his natural confidence to inspire his teammates to play better and challenge themselves.

“That’s one of the reasons I chose to play middle linebacker, because it’s the captain of the defense,” Colbert said. “And I like to run things and be the center of attention. Not to be too cocky but that’s just me.”

The team hopes to use the scrimmage as a way to find out who the leaders of the team are really going to be, Colbert said.

“I’m looking forward to being live and actually being able to hit because right now we’ve just been thudding up. So in the spring game, it’s gonna be a good time to see what guys really have that defensive mentality that go and get the ball,” Colbert said.

There will be several activities before and after the scrimmage, including a pre-game cookout on campus, pre-game events held by Student Life at Farrington Field, Alma Mater and fight song practice, and autographs from the players and coaches on the field after the scrimmage. For more information go to txwes.edu.

Balancing class and athletics can be challenging but good study habits make a big difference, softball pitcher Lauren Wernet said.

“We usually practice at least three times a day and it’s Monday through Friday. My guess is about 20 hours per week but usually we start playing games too,” said Wernet, a junior athletic training major.

Wernet is one more than a dozen Wesleyan athletes to make this year’s Dean’s List. Students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher to make the list, according to txwes.edu.

The athletes have to balance practice and game schedules, off-season training, and he workload of a full-time student.

They say they do it through a combination of a good support system of family, friends and other athletes, as well as forming good study habits and time management skills.

Wernet and other athletes on the softball team, for example, usually have games on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but that schedule can change week to week, she said.

“If it’s a really good game it’s probably around three hours. If it’s kind of a blow out game it’s at least two hours,” Wernet said.

It can be difficult to get good grades because of missing class, she said. At the beginning of the season the team misses a few Thursdays and a Fridays because of the tournaments they play in. During conference play they miss at least a Tuesday and a Friday each week.

“I have friends in the program that help me out a lot. So, if I miss class they’re always there to pick me up with notes,” Wernet said.

Athletic training has very supportive faculty and they work well with students when they miss for athletics, Wernet said.

“Athletic training is good that. With athletic training, they have to be because you’re a part of the sports system. So, you work with the sports and it’s the same thing. It really helps when your teachers work with you a lot,” Wernet said.

Typically, softball players are expected to take at least 15 hours because head coach Susan Gower has high standards, Wernet said.

“I know that all the girls will attest that I’m always studying. I at least study three or four hours a night after practice. I don’t go to bed until around 11 o’clock,” Wernet said.

Wernet has made the Dean’s List three semesters in a row and she attributes that success to having a good support system and being proactive.

“I guess I just formed good study habits in high school which helped out a lot and knowing that I need to get something done instead of hanging out with my friends,” Wernet said.

It’s an important to set your priorities and make sure your school work is done before you hang out with friends, Wernet said.

“They [friends] know where you’re at with your education and that your education means a lot more than just other things in life. I think it’s just good study habits and just having good friends to push you,” Wernet said.

Baseball player Julio Ibarra said the team usually practices three hours a day six days a week and plays around three games a week.

“Every day I study around 1 or 2 hours a day because I like being ready before the next class. So basically, I review the content before going to class,” said Ibarra, a first baseman and junior athletic training major.

Ibarra takes around 16 hours a semester and must miss class almost every Friday due to away games.

“This is my first semester at Texas Wesleyan, but this is the first time I made [the Dean’s List]. I’ve been here for two semesters so hopefully I can get another one next semester,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra is from Venezuela and attended Pratt Community College in Kansas prior to coming to Wesleyan.

“I picked this school because after I finished my sophomore year at my junior college I had very good stats in baseball. I was trying to go to a good school that was good at baseball but at the same time trying to be in a school that offers my career,” Ibarra said.

It’s hard to keep good grades and perform well on the field at the same time because it’s hard to separate the two, Ibarra said.

“If you do bad in the field then you’re more likely to take that to your class,” Ibarra said. “Or backwards, if you do bad on the test and then you have a game the same day, you’ve got to be able to be tough and be able to change your mind very quick in order to be able to perform well.”

It’s challenging to maintain a high GPA and keep up with all the games and practices, he said.

“It is hard because you have to sacrifice a lot of your social time to be able to be on the Dean’s List. Especially when English is not your first language you’ve got to work harder than everybody else,” Ibarra said.

Ibarra is excited to attend Wesleyan because of the warm Texas weather and Wesleyan being a top-tier university.

“I was very blessed to find a school that has a very good athletic training program and that also has a good baseball program,” Ibarra said.

Soccer player Yohan Shirazi said he has to maintain his grades while playing at least three games and practicing up to 10 hours per week.

“During season, it depends on how many away games so we maybe [miss] three or four times a week,” said Shiraz, a junior exercise science major and center midfielder or center back.

Shirazi takes at least 13 hours a semester and he has made the Dean’s List five times.

“Outside of class I would say I study three or four hours outside of class a day so like 15 hours a week,” Shirazi said.

It is important to keep up with studying and homework while avoiding distractions, so studying in the library really helps, Shirazi said.

“On the buses bus trips you’ve always got to study. When I’m here I’ve got to stay up late nights. There’s a lot of distractions, obviously and you get really tired,” Shirazi said.

Texas Wesleyan’s football team held its first practice in full pads at Farrington Field Wednesday to prepare for the scrimmage April 22 and next season, head coach Joe Prud’homme said.

“[Practice] went pretty well,” Prud’homme said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect because this is the first time any of them have been in pads for us in that setting. I was actually pleasantly surprised because we threw a lot at them in a hurry. They adjusted well; they soaked it up pretty well.”

The team adjusted to working in pads quickly, considering it was their first day, Prud’homme said.

“There’s a whole lot to learn and a whole lot to do and a whole lot to execute that you haven’t been doing,” Prud’homme said. “You’ve been doing it in shorts and T-shirts with no pressure on, now all of a sudden pads are on. And it’s live; it’s fast; it’s for real. They just have to think a little bit faster on their feet but all in all it was a very good first practice.”

There’s always room to improve in every situation and in every game, Prud’homme said.

“I thought the energy was good. I thought the intensity was really good,” Prud’homme said. “Our coaching staff did a great job planning it and putting the plan together and then the execution of it because there wasn’t any dead time or down time. If there was, it was by design there was nothing that was just dead air.”

The team will play the April scrimmage and all home games next fall at Farrington Field, according to Ann Davis, director of communications. The field, at 1501 University Drive, is where the Wesleyan team played its last home game in 1941.

Prud’homme said Farrington Field has “a really good feel to it.”

“I think [Farrington Field] is a great venue for us,” Prud’homme said. “Is it old? Yes. Is it historical? Absolutely, it’s the last place that Texas Wesleyan played their games which I think is really cool. It’s also right in the heart of downtown Fort Worth right next to the 7th St. District. It’s just kind of wrapped around the history of the program that was there before. It’s really special.”

Freshman quarterback Justin Arth described Wednesday’s first practice in full pads as being energetic.

“We started off with stretches,” Arth, a business administration major, said, “and then we went straight into blitz pick up which is pretty much just defensive guys sprinting at you in full pads and you’ve got to make a read on who to throw it to then we went into 7-on-7 and then a little bit of hitting and that was pretty much it.”

Practicing in the heat didn’t faze the team since they have been practicing outside since August, Arth said.

“We could always run more to be in even better shape,” Arth said. “I felt pretty good about it. Nobody was bending over wheezing too much.”

The team practiced for a little over two and a half hours running plays and hitting for the first time this school year, Arth said.

“Two months ago they sized us for pads and they basically asked if we want this brand of pads or that brand of pads and then each position group has their own style of pads too so we just kind of chose based off of our sizes which pads we wanted,” Arth said.

Different positions require specific pads, Arth said. A lineman needs thicker pads than the quarterbacks or special teams players that wouldn’t see as much hitting.

Freshman middle linebacker Dewaun Colbert said he is excited to be back in pads and on a turf field.

“We did inside hole and a couple of other things,” Colbert said. “We went over different plays but most of the time we’re on the same page as offense. We’re either going against them or we’re working with them. We’re in pretty good shape. We could run more or whatever but we’re good for the heat; we’ve been in the heat enough to be ready for it.”

Freshman quarterback Kane Hardin said being able to  hit each other was fun.

“It was the first day of pads,” Hardin said. “We got a little team action. We got to go against each other, finally. It was just a good day overall.”

As a start-up program there’s always something that can be improved but the team has great energy, Hardin said.

“We’ve been working out in the heat for a while now but with the pads it’s a little different,” Hardin said.  

The team is working on perfecting basic skills right now and practicing basic plays as well as conditioning, Hardin said.

“We’re just working on overall stuff. Offense is just working on our playbook; defense is working on their stuff, nothing specific,” Hardin said.

Dr. Robert Thiebaud, a Wesleyan assistant professor of exercise science, has been conducting research on three fitness trackers to test their accuracy.

Thiebaud has been researching TomTom Adventurer, Microsoft Band, and the Fitbit Surge since the fall 2016 semester, he said.

“I remember one time in basic concepts class we were talking about tracking your physical activity,” Thiebaud said. “And you know a student brought up a question, ‘Which one is the best one to use?’ and it’s a good question. There’s been some research but I hadn’t looked much into it.”

Thiebaud is doing the research with five exercise science majors, including Jacey Patton, Martin Schmidt, Brook Massey, Terri Shay, and Alex Davis. The research will continue through the semester and the current research was presented by Massey and Patton at the regional Texas American College of Sports Medicine conference on Feb. 16 and 17 in Waco.

There is some research about the accuracy of fitness trackers but there is not a lot of substantial information out there, Thiebaud said.

“They come out with new ones all the time so quickly that we can’t keep up necessarily with how accurate they are,” Thiebaud said. “[We] can’t keep up with the technology so that was one thing, just a curiosity just to see which ones measured accurately.”

The fitness trackers being tested measure heart rate at the wrist and track energy expenditures, Thiebaud said.

“We’re still in the process of clenching data. We need some more people [to test the trackers],” Thiebaud said.

Typically heart rate monitors require a strap to be worn across the chest that can be uncomfortable while working out, Thiebaud said. A fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor at the wrist is more convenient.

“With these devices in particular we were looking at them because they can measure heart rate just by doing it at the wrist,” Thiebaud said. “So what we’ve seen so far is that they do pretty good at faster speeds.”

The study being conducted by Thiebaud and the exercise science department looks at the accuracy at 2-6 mph on a treadmill, he said.

“Just seeing how accurate they are throughout the whole duration and we’re seeing that they’re a little bit better at these faster speeds but there’s a lot more variation in these slower speeds,” Thiebaud said.

Thiebaud said that about 15 Wesleyan students, most undergrads, have participated in his experiment but he would like to test around 50 students overall.

“First, we put these [the trackers] on their wrists.  Two on one [wrist] and one on another wrist and then we hook them up to an electrocardiogram or ecg,” Thiebaud said.

The student is connected to an ecg to monitor their heart rate, which can be compared to the heart rate the tracker provides, Thiebaud said.

“Then we have another machine called the metabolic cart,” Thiebaud said. “They put basically a kind of mask on and they breathe in air and they expire their air. Then we measure how much oxygen they consumed during that exercise and from that information we can estimate how much energy they’re expending.”

The metabolic cart is used to estimate the amount of calories burned during the experiment and that number is later compared to the calorie expenditure that tracker displays, Thiebaud said.

“It’s about 15 minutes total of exercise so it’s a little bit more structured experiment,” Thiebaud said. “But sometimes you know people just aren’t always on a treadmill but for these particular ones that’s where we were.”

The experiment requires each person to wear the three trackers and the metabolic cart mask, and be hooked up to an ECG, Thiebaud said. They then walk for three minutes at 2 mph, 3 mph, 4 mph, 5 mph, and 6 mph consecutively. Their heart rate and energy expenditure is monitored once every minute during the experiment.

“We still need to get more data but the one that seems from our data right now to be the best at heartrate is going to probably be the Fitbit or the TomTom,” he said.

The Fitbit and Microsoft Band did well at calculating energy expenditure while the TomTom didn’t provide as accurate calorie data, Thiebaud said.

“Which one to buy is always the question though,” Thiebaud said. “So that’s what we’re trying to help people figure out. Once we get some more data we’ll have a better more conclusive result.”

The TomTom and Fitbit compared to the Microsoft Band are usually better at monitoring heart rate. But the Fitbit and Microsoft Band are better at calculating energy expenditures, Thiebaud said.

The five students he is doing the research with, he said, “have been a huge part of this project and I really thank them for putting in the time and effort. They’ve all been really big contributors in helping to get it figured out to collect the data so they’ve been great.”

Fitness trackers are just really convenient and it’s great that they can be worn as a watch, freshman psychology major Trudy Allen said.

“I like wearing [my tracker] for golf. Since I’m on the golf team it notifies me when I get text messages, emails and snap chats,” Allen said.

They’re fun to use and it’s exciting to see how much exercise she’s gotten in a day, Allen said.

“I use it when I’m running and golfing basically, I like it since it lets me know how far I’ve run and how active I’ve been throughout the day,” Allen said.

Allen said she likes the Apple Watch because it has a bigger face and lets her interact with her phone more than the other trackers.

Freshman criminal justice major Tyler King said the pedometer feature most trackers have motivates her to get up and moving.

“I have the fitbit charge so I’m really interested to know how accurate the Fitbit products compare to the other types of trackers,” King said.  “The Fitbit works as motivation for me to try and be healthier.”

For more information on this study go to rthiebaud@txwes.edu.

Soccer player Michael Brown began playing for the Rams after serving in the Navy, and says that being able to play at the college level is a dream come true.

But part of being able to do that is keeping up his grades, which can be challenging, because during the season, the team practices five or six days a week and plays anywhere from one to three games per week.

Brown said he has been able to maintain his GPA by planning ahead and communicating with his teachers, most of whom have been understanding and flexible about class deadlines.

“It helps also if you do quality work in class and they know you’re capable of it then they’re going to be a little more willing to work with you because of a school obligation,” Brown said.

By maintaining at least a 3.25 GPA, Brown has become one of Wesleyan’s scholar athletes. The Sooner Athletic Conference announced the list of 2016 academic all-conference athletes on Feb. 1, and Wesleyan had 22 of the conference’s total of 199.

SAC scholar athletes must maintain a 3.25 GPA in the previous two semesters and be regulars, or letter winners, on their team, according to ramsports.net.

“It really was a great opportunity to play at the college level and at the same time earn good enough grades to receive this reward is an honor,” Brown said.

Athletic Director Steve Trachier said he is “awfully proud” of Wesleyan’s scholar athletes; the department’s goal is to have athletes do well in the classroom, create competitive professionals and earn a degree, and part of being competitive is keeping a high GPA.

“If you go back and look at the history of the athletic department over the last several years, you’ll see the number of scholar athletes that we have increasing, you’ll see the number of scholar teams we have increasing, you’ll see the athletic department GPA increasing,” Trachier said. “We are an institution of learning.”

Wesleyan’s scholar athletes for fall 2016 included nine from women’s soccer, five from men’s soccer, two from men’s cross country, one from women’s cross country, and five from volleyball, according to ramsports.net. Every scholar athlete has to balance schoolwork with practice and games, and doing so often means sacrificing sleep and free time.

Men’s soccer midfielder Kian Hosseinpour maintains his GPA because getting a work visa is very competitive and any kind of edge can help.

“I knew that playing soccer, playing a sport and a high GPA would help me in getting a visa and finding work later on,” said Hosseinpour, a sophomore finance major from New Zealand.

In season practices involve a lot of skill work and working as a team, Hosseinpour said.

“In the fall [balancing grades and soccer can be] a bit trickier because we travel so much and we’re away in Oklahoma or west Texas a lot,” he said.

Hosseinpour tries to be proactive and get his schoolwork done ahead of time in order to keep his GPA up.

“I try to do everything before I leave for trips so I can have a free mind and obviously sometimes that means staying up a bit later and you don’t have as much time to do other things,” Hosseinpour said.

Volleyball practices are two hours every day and the team plays between two and three games a week during their season, said Kiersten Mebane.

“Currently, we have fitness at 5:30 a.m. and fitness is basically just lifting weights and running,” Mebane, a criminal justice major, said. “Following fitness at 6:30 am we have volleyball practice like usually from 6:30 am to 8:00 am sometimes 6:30 to 8:40. So you’re already tired before your day even begins.”

Mebane uses whatever time she can find to get her homework done.

“When we travel is just like homework time,” Mebane said. “Homework on the bus, in the hotel room, at the game. I have written so many papers on charter busses.”

Mebane strives to make good grades because it makes her feel that she has accomplished something, and because it will make it easier to get into a reputable graduate program.

Junior accounting major and volleyball player Shelby Stinnett said that she will just grab a book for her classes during any free time she has.

Stinnett, an outside hitter, makes an effort to keep her GPA as high as possible because of the competitiveness of graduate school.

“My dad has always held me to a high standard. It does feel good to get a better grade because it makes you feel like you actually know the stuff,” Stinnett said. “[Our coach] does grade checks, so we’ll have to have our teachers sign off [on things] like ‘do we pay attention?’, ‘are we doing good in the class?’ and ‘what’s our progress?’ so she keeps us accountable for it but it’s ultimately our responsibility.”

Katie Baugh, a sophomore athletic training major and soccer player, said her dyslexia means she has to work harder to keep up her grades; being on the soccer team — which practices five times a week and plays two or three games a week — takes a lot of time.

“It’s really somewhat tough to be a college athlete and balance school,” Baugh said.

Maintaining grades is a team goal for the women’s soccer team because if one player fails it affects the whole team, Baugh said.

“It’s tough. But you do what you can for the game that you love to play basically,” Baugh said.

In order to keep good grades, the team communicates with their teachers and plans ahead so they can keep up with classwork, Baugh said.

“I study a lot on the bus. I like to sleep a lot on the bus too but I always have my computer with me,” Baugh said. “You do whatever you can, like if I have an essay due I’d type it [then] wait until we get to the hotel and then send it.”

Texas Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team expects to excel in their upcoming games and the conference tournament because of what head coach Brennen Shingleton said is the culture of this year’s team.

“We are a new team,” Shingleton said. “We’ve got great leadership and more importantly I think this team is by far the most unselfish team I’ve been around.”

The team, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference and 16^th in the nation among the NAIA Division I men’s basketball teams, won five games in a row between Dec. 31 and Jan. 14.

Because the Rams lost several starters last season, returning members have really had to step up and fill leadership roles, Shingleton said.

“We’ve got Naiel Smith, [who] is the leader in the nation in the assisting game, and we’ve got guys that are scoring really well,” he said. “We’re balanced.”

Shingleton believes that his team excels at “pouncing on their opponents.”

The team takes the season week by week and really focuses on the next game in front of them, he said.

“If we keep crawling up the rankings and taking care of our business the goal is to win another conference title and go from there,” Shingleton said.

Shingleton thinks the leadership and work ethic are largely responsible for his team’s success so far this season.

“You don’t have to do a whole lot of coaching. These guys are really kind of just locked in, and they seem to be really cohesive,” Shingleton said.

Shingleton thinks the attitude of the team has changed dramatically since last season, but the players still are motivated to win games.

“The difference being with this particular group is they have an uncanny ability to want to be coached,” Shingleton said. “It’s almost as if we kind of have to taper back the amount of information that we give.”

The 2016-2017 team will practice for hours at a time and not give it a second thought, Shingleton said.

“The difference being between this group and last year’s group was last year’s group was more of a management position job,” Shingleton said. “We really had to make sure the pieces of the puzzle fit. This group the puzzle fits. Now, we’re just trying to make sure we get the most out of it.”

Shingleton believes that the team is “unselfish to a fault” and that they need more constructive criticism at practice.

“We really have to find guys to say ‘you need to do more’, ‘you need to be more assertive’, ‘you need to be more proactive’, those kind of key words, and we didn’t have that kind of problem last year,” Shingleton said.

The team has so much potential that Shingleton said he is looking to maximize the skills of each player and push them to be the best they can be.

“It’s an amazing deal because nobody’s really ball hogging,” Shingleton said. “Everybody is trying to do what’s best for the team.”

The team’s unselfish attitude is apparent to anyone and can be seen in every game they play, he said.

“It’s a little unnerving as a coach because you’re waiting for the ball to drop; you’re kind of waiting for a problem to solve and this and that and this group doesn’t have it,” he said.

Shingleton thinks it is fun to watch this team compete because of how cohesive they are and how well they work together.

“We’re still kind of gradually trying to find our break-out moment, and find out how good we can really be,” Shingleton said. “And to be honest with you I don’t think we’re really close. I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, but the good part about it is we’re winning while we do it and not losing.”

Forward Peyton Prud’homme, sophomore mass communication major, is excited to finish the season with his team leading the conference.

“We’re first in conference. We’re ranked 16 in the nation It looks like we’re going to make the tournament. I think we’re going to win it,” said Prud’homme, who is not related to Wesleyan head football coach Joe Prud’homme.

There are still plenty of opportunities to watch the Rams at home so he urges Wesleyan students to come support the team, Prud’homme said.

Prud’homme thinks that this team is exciting to watch because many players have stepped up as leaders.

“Honestly, our top eight guys really produce a lot of minutes on the court and then we have really good bench too,” Prud’homme said.

In addition to practicing for hours on end, the team has been watching films of their opponents, as well as their own films, to develop new strategies and improve their skills, Prud’homme said.

The team has been preparing for upcoming games and working hard to stay healthy for the rest of the season, Prud’homme said.

“We’ve been pretty injured lately. A lot of guys are beat up and hurt, but we haven’t really had many guys miss games,” Prud’homme said. “We’ve had a couple miss games, but for the most part we’ve just kind of been playing pretty beat up, but that’s just part of the game.”

The team has high expectations for this season and they are very driven to win another title, guard Praneeth Udumalagala\ wrote in an email.

“Our expectations are pretty straight forward and that is to win every game we play. We take it one game at a time, and eventually, we will achieve our goals of winning the conference championship and then nationals,” wrote Udumalagala, a junior business management major.

Udumalagala thinks the team’s success is due to the program’s continued excellence and motivation.

“I’m not sure if we have done anything different [this year]. Every season we do our best and our coaches prepare us. It’s nothing short than performing our best, giving our 100% everyday as a program in and out of the gym,” Udumalagala wrote.

Udumalagala believes that the season is off to a great start but it’s too soon to compare the success of last year’s team to this year’s team.

“So far it’s a great start for our season, and I’m sure that it only gets better as the team is looking good and strong,” Udumalagala said.

Texas Wesleyan’s men’s tennis team will begin playing in the fall of 2017, Athletic Director Steven Trachier said.

Angel Martinez, the head women’s tennis coach, will also coach the men’s team next fall, Trachier said.

“We are hiring an assistant coach to help him with the program as numbers increase, and that kind of stuff,” Trachier said.

The men’s program should be an easy addition because there is already a coach, a facility, and a budget in place, Trachier said.

Wesleyan’s women’s tennis team began playing in the fall of 2015 after a 13-year hiatus, according to ramsports.net. Martinez was named the 2015-2016 United States Professional Tennis Association Texas College Coach of the Year.

“Coach Martinez signed his first recruit [Mace Brasher] a few days ago, who is actually the brother of one of his current players,” Trachier said. “That’s the first recruit and he’s been talking to many more. It should build pretty quickly.”

Tennis is a fall and spring sport but the championship events occur in the spring, he said.

“You play your regional tournament, and if you qualify you go to nationals in the spring, but they’ll be competing in the fall against other colleges,” Trachier said.

The tennis facility, Arlington Tennis Center, has enough courts for the men and women to practice at the same time, he said.

“Right now, we are in an unaffiliated grouping,” Trachier said. “Basically, in the Sooner Athletic Conference there aren’t enough teams that play tennis to have a tennis conference, so we co-op with two other athletic conferences to form what is called an unaffiliated group, and that’s what we’ll play in.”

The new men’s team will be able to advance in the NAIA quickly since the area around Wesleyan has a lot of good high school tennis programs, he said.

“That demographic, historically, are good students. They’re good in the classroom. I think that it will help us academically and athletically,” Trachier said.

More opportunities available to continue athletics at Wesleyan should help the university academically as well, he said.

“I like it when our athletic teams are growing at a time when the university is growing. It’ll help our retention,” Trachier said.   

It’s a great thing to have a men’s team as well as a women’s team because the teams can cheer each other on, tennis player Loli Garcia said.  

“It’s good for the school when recruiting new players. The men’s tennis team will make us more well-known, it will make it easier for us to bring new people to the school,” Garcia, a senior business management major said.

The two teams can help encourage one another by being loud at matches and motivating one another, she said.

“I might not be here playing then, but I am excited,” Garcia said. “I’m excited to see how everything is going to be.”

Wesleyan tennis player Maggie Brasher, the sister of Mace Brasher, the men’s team’s first recruit, said her brother is “a great player and a great kid.”

A new program allows players that might not have had the chance to play college tennis elsewhere a chance to continue their tennis careers, she said.

“I think that he just wanted to be close to home,” she said of Mace. “ That’s a good advantage of having a small team or small school that is close to where we live.”

The siblings’ relationship is very close and may have played a factor in where Mace chose to go to college, she said.

“I don’t like to say that I played a factor, but we’re really close, so I think that it may have helped us to go to the same school together,” she said.

It’s a unique opportunity to be a player on a new team because it’s an opportunity to create a name for the program, she said.

“Well, since I was the first signing for the women’s tennis team,” Brasher said. “I told him that it was not always a bad thing to start fresh from a team that has nothing.”

Brasher was surprised to hear that the university was adding a men’s team because at the time of her signing it didn’t seem like a possibility.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for anyone. It’ll be fun,” she said. “It’ll make the women’s team more dynamic, it’ll be fun to have a good mix of guys and girls.”

The addition of men’s tennis, football, and lacrosse should help make the school more visible, she said.

“It’s going to be a good learning experience for everyone,” she said.

Head coach Brennen Shingleton and his players agree: the men’s basketball team is preparing to have a great season.

“Our guys that are returning are great leaders on and off the court, they are doing a fantastic job of getting us in position to be successful,” Shingleton said. “I couldn’t be more proud of where we are at right now and really excited to get the season going.”

Last season, the Rams posted a 24-8 (14-4 conference) record on the way to winning the Sooner Athletic Conference; the team lost to Campbellsville University in the first round of the NAIA Division I playoffs in March.

Even though it was an impressive season, the Rams are looking to do even better this time.

“We are looking at one game at a time and expect to win the conference championship first and then nationals. We have everything we need to win,” said guard Praneeth Udumalagala, a junior business management major.  “Just like every other year, we as a team do our best to get ready for the season.”

The team lifts weights, conditions, and works on offense and defense during their six practices a week, Udumalagala said.

“More than half our players are new this year,” Udumalagala said. “Every player on our team is super excited for the opportunity they have received.”

Each athlete has been working hard to make sure they have what it takes to win, Udumalagala said.

“Every [player] is hungry to win and they are super excited for the season to show their talents and more importantly to show our team’s strength and to bring honor to our school by winning,” Udumalagala said.

A basketball program like Wesleyan’s is hard to find since there aren’t many like it, Udumalagala said.

“This program is special; from coaching staff to all the players entering, this program has the discipline to work as one to achieve our goals,” he said.

Achieving goals can be difficult but taking the season one day at a time helps, said point guard Patrick Listach, a senior history major.

“Every day brings a different challenge but we, the team and coaches, attack each day with intensity mentally and physically,” Listach said.

The whole team knows that it will take hard work to win games, Listach said.

“Nothing comes easy and we all understand that,” he said. “I think that is what will separate us from any other team in the country; all 15 guys want it and we’re willing to give it everything we have every day.”

Listach believes that the attitude the team had last year is here to stay.

“I believe we are very similar to last year’s team as far as work ethic,” Listach said. “We love to compete. We love to play the game of basketball.”

Out of the four years that Listach has been at Wesleyan, he hasn’t played with a team quite like this one, he said.

“We play really well together, we learn quickly, and we are fast and very athletic,” Listach said. “It will be a very exciting season for sure.”

The way that the team practices is going to make beating them a difficult task, Listach said.

“We are going to be tough to beat,” Listach said. “Coach Shingleton and coach Garnett have prepared us every day of practice and the guys are really buying into the system. Like we say in practice, ‘We’re ALL IN.’”

Wesleyan offers more than just a great basketball program. It also offers a great challenging learning environment, Listach said.

“Texas Wesleyan offers more than I could have imagined,” Listach said. “I love my professors and I love the curriculum. Also, I love playing for coach Shingleton. He knows how to get the best out of me.”

Wesleyan’s basketball program and the courses offered allow people to grow from their experiences here, Listach said.

“When I graduate I know I’ll be a better person than I was when I first came to Wesleyan,” Listach said.

The team bases its practices around the principle aspects of basketball, Shingleton said.

“We defend as a team, rebound, share the ball and get in the best physical shape of our lives,” Shingleton said. “But more importantly, we are building a chemistry and accountability as a team that doesn’t waiver.”

The team created its own work ethic, Shingleton said. The players decided that they needed to work hard.

“This group has been unbelievable,” Shingleton said. “Our coaching staff hasn’t had to ask them to work hard. We have GREAT leadership.”

There really isn’t any comparison between last year’s team and this year’s because they are different teams, Shingleton said.

“This team has its own challenges and goals,” he said. “We appreciate the past success but we are focused on new goals and challenges.”

The team lost a lot of players but they have also gained a lot of new players, Shingleton said.

“It’s never easy replacing any players, but the challenge is maintaining the culture of our program,” Shingleton said.

The men’s basketball team’s first home game is Oct. 31, when they play Dallas Christian College. Game time is 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 but admission is free for children under 12 and anyone with a Wesleyan ID.

Last season, the Lady Rams were hobbled by injuries to several players, and they paid the price.

The team finished 8-21 and finished at the bottom of the Sooner Athletic Conference.

This season, the team hopes to stay injury free, improve their record and go into postseason play.

“The team is looking good and working hard,” Franey said. “Barring injuries this is a team that can advance to the national tournament and do well. The team will have to fight hard every game.”

Katelynn Threats is the only two-time all-American at Wesleyan and she will be returning for her senior year, Franey said.

“If it is our turn to part the water she will be our Moses,” Franey said.

The team is working hard in practice and learning to build trust and chemistry, he said.

“This is the kind of unselfish team that is fun to coach,” Franey said.

The team lost a few players, some of whom will be hard to replace, Franey said.

“Onyesonam Nolisa was one of the best players in school history,”Franey said. “She will be impossible to replace.” Franey said.

Practice is where all the groundwork for the team is created and planned out, Franey said.

The team has been working hard in and out of practice to get to know each other and create chemistry, Threats said.

She sees a difference between last year’s team and this year’s: this year everyone is working toward being successful and creating a winning season.

“This is shown in things like there work ethic in practice, not being selfish and they uplift one another because at the end of the day it takes a whole team to be successful,” Threats said.

Threats believes that the team could be more successful than last season if everyone can remain healthy and get to know how each member operates.

“We’ve got quite a few girls this year,” Threats said, “and they all are fighting hard for their position on the court as well as making the next girl better so that we can be successful.”

Threats is excited to begin playing this season and finish out her career at Wesleyan.

“I’m more excited to possibly do something that has never been done during my time here and that’s go all the way,” Threats said.

Threats gives some of the credit to Franey for believing in her and pushing her limits.

“I am very fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity by Bill Franey who saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Threats said.

The team has been practicing and scrimmaging each other every day for more than a month, said  Falesha Fuller, a sophomore exercise science major.

“Scrimmaging each other is allowing us to learn about each other and find the chemistry needed in order to play well as a group,” she said.

The team seems different this year, Fuller said. It’s more relaxed but everyone is still focused on winning.

“We’re able to make jokes and laugh while practicing and working hard,” Fuller said. “Everyone is positive and has that drive to win.”

The team gained quite a few players, so this team is bigger than last year’s, Fuller said.

“I expect a lot more wins this year because we have too much talent to not win,” Fuller said. “We will definitely be a team to fear and watch out for.”

The team has been preparing for the upcoming season by conditioning to prevent injuries, said Angela Nguyen, a senior business management major.

“We have been playing more full-court play between one another to help us get to know one another as well as allow us to work a lot on full-court offense and defense,” Nguyen said.

The 2016-2017 team has about half a dozen new players, and they bring a new level of excitement to the team, Nguyen said.

“This year’s team finds motivation within one another to make sure that everyone on the team is on the same page,” Nguyen said. “The work ethic is a lot better than it has been because we as a team know how to pick one another up.”

Nguyen thinks the Lady Rams could go far because of the experience the returning players have and the fact that everyone is healthy.

“I think we could be in the top four of our conference,” Nguyen said.

The team is anxious to begin the season and hopes that everyone can remain healthy this year, said Leah Taylor, a junior psychology major.

“Last year we started off really good but had some injuries,” Taylor said.

Basketball is a demanding sport and playing with a limited number of players due to injuries hinders the team, Taylor said.

“This year everyone is healthy and we are practicing harder than ever,” Taylor said.

The team reloaded its roster and is ready to start playing games she said.

“We have some new players and they are really good alongside our veterans,” she said.

The support of teammates is great but it isn’t the same as having a large crowd at games, Taylor said.

“We have great team bonding,” Taylor said. “We support and encourage one another.  We would love to see our school support us and cheer us on.  Let’s go Rams!”

The Lady Rams’ first home game is Nov. 23 against East Texas Baptist University. Game time is 6 p.m. The team will play Texas Christian University in an exhibition game at TCU at 5 p.m. on Nov. 8. Tickets are $5 but admission is free for children under 12 and anyone with a Wesleyan ID.