Women's Basketball takes Frank Erwin Center to school
Dec. 1, 2012
Mallory Majcher, Texas Media Relations AUSTIN, Texas -- Approximately 3,910 students in fourth through sixth grades stormed The University of Texas campus on Friday, making their first stop at the Frank Erwin Center to support the Women’s Basketball team in their sixth meeting against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “It is very excited to see young kids come and watch us play,” said junior guard Ashley Roberts. “I am very happy to be a part of it.” Forty-six elementary schools, chartered by 86 buses, from all around Central Texas attended the second annual Forty Acres Field Trip to experience a unique opportunity to expose these young children to higher education. Northwest Prep Academy made the longest trip to UT Campus, traveling 181 miles from Humble, Texas. St. Austin Catholic School made the shortest trip to the Frank Erwin Center walking just one mile. All students and chaperones received free tickets to the game where they learned the ins and outs of how to be a true Longhorn. The students learned the most popular Texas cheers from Texas Cheer and Texas Pom and were able to participate in halftime competitions on the court with Hook ‘Em. The youngsters took delight as 6-foot-7 freshman Imani McGee-Stafford earned her second double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs. But not only was this an incredible experience for all of the students in attendance, but also an equally exciting opportunity for the athletes. Junior guard Chelsea Bass takes her position as a role model very seriously. “I [enjoy being a role model] a lot,” said Bass. “Growing up, I had great role models and I try to emulate them and do the right things on and off the court. It was awesome to have them come out to see us play,”
This was head coach Karen Aston’s fifth year in a row being part of an educational filed trip program. “It is really enjoyable any time you can bring young people in to have the opportunity to see [the Women’s Basketball team] play and see some great role model.” said Aston. This field trip corresponded with UT’s fifth-straight win to open the season under Aston. The Longhorns improved to 5-0 with a 79-30 win against A&M-Corpus Christi. Sophomore forward Nneka Enemkpali registered her fifth consecutive double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds to tie Tiffany Jackson’s 2006 school record. The Longhorns will travel to Houston on Saturday, Dec. 8 for the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Showcase against UCLA. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT at Reliant Stadium. “I’ve been continually impressed with how our team has started games,” Aston said. “I really love teams that are ready to play when the tip happens, and I’m a big believer in setting a tone in the first four or five minutes of a game. I’m impressed with how we’ve done that.” |
|
