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4/5/02 Women's Distance Medley Relay wins Texas Relays Crown
AUSTIN, Texas
-- The UT women's distance medley relay captured its first-ever Texas
Relays crown to highlight day-three action for the Longhorns track and
field teams Friday at the 75th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. |
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| 10/26/01 | ||||||||
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Sims Q&A TexasSports.com recently visited with junior cross country runner Erin Sims. One of the most talented and experienced runners on the Texas women's squad, Sims earned All-America honors in the 1,500-meter run this past June at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. A native of Pascagoula, Miss., Sims was UT's top finisher in all five meets in which she competed last fall and was the overall runner-up in three of those meets. A three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, Sims also earned all-regional honors with a 14th-place showing at the NCAA South Central Regional in Denton, Texas. This season, Sims was UT's No. 3 finisher (107th overall) at the NCAA Pre-Meet in Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 13, helping the Longhorns to an 18th-place showing at the annual preview to the NCAA Championships.  What
are the team's goals heading into the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA
South Central Regional?"I think we proved we have a lot of potential at Pre-Nationals. A lot of us were still training hard at that point, but we ran pretty well. We ran better than a lot of people thought we could. I'm not really sure how we stack up against the other teams in the Big 12 because it's a very tough conference, but we would definitely like to improve on last year's finish (eighth). A lot of the teams have changed since last year's race though, so we believe we can improve. At regionals, I'd like to place high enough as an individual to help our team make it to nationals or to qualify as an individual. The better I run, the more I help the team out." As the most experienced runner on this year's team, how much of a leader are you to the younger members of the squad? "My experience has helped me a lot this year. I try to tell the younger girls what they're going to go through in a full college season, because it is very different from high school. I try to help them understand what kind of organization we need on this team to get things done and to be responsible. Honestly, I probably lead more by example, but I will help anyone else out on the team if they ask for anything." Does the success you've enjoyed in track carry over into cross country at all? "A lot of my confidence this season has come from this past track season since that's the last competition I had. It helps me get ready to compete for each race and the experience I've gained on the track helps me in cross country. I know what to expect in a race and I get to know some of our opponents better from competing against them in track." How special was it to earn All-America honors in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last spring and has that helped motivate you for this cross country season? "I was shooting for All-American, but I actually wanted to finish higher than I did. That's okay though, because I was very happy with what I accomplished. It does help me with cross country in a way in that I always want to improve from my last race." What has first-year head coach John Hayes brought to the Texas women's cross country program? "We've all been adjusting to his program this year, but he has brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team because he is such an outgoing person. We're still learning about him and he's still learning about us at every practice, but the transition has been smooth so far." What motivates you to run? "I like to win. I like to see what my body can do when I push it to the limit. It's exciting and rewarding to me. That's my motivation." What do you think about when you compete? "I try to be instinctive when I am in a race. I'm not as much as I should be, but I'm learning. I need to get better at trusting myself in a race when I need to make a move. I don't really think about random things during a race at all." What's your favorite thing about being a Texas Longhorn? "The support from the athletics department is the thing that sticks out the most. The support they give each student-athlete here is incredible. The facilities, academic support and training staff are amazing. Everything about the athletic department here is top-notch." What's your favorite thing to do when you are not running? "I love music. I can't play it too well, but I love to listen to music. It helps me relax and take my mind off other things. I took a guitar class last semester and I can play four songs, but I really enjoy listening to music and going to concerts."
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| 7/15/02 | ||||||||
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UT Women’s Cross Country Team tabbed All-Academic
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas women’s cross country team has been named a 2001-02 NCAA Division I All-Academic Team by the Women’s Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association for their success on the course and in the classroom. In addition, junior Erin Sims (Pascagoula, Miss. / Pascagoula HS) was honored with Academic All-America honors. The Longhorns were one of 75 teams chosen All-Academic With Distinction for posting a team cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher. Under the direction of first year assistant track and field/head cross country coach John Hayes and 10th year head track and field coach Beverly Kearney, Texas tallied a 3.42 team GPA for this past academic year, which ranks 28th on the NCAA Division I level. UT also was one of seven Big 12 Conference women’s teams to earn All-Academic accolades. Sims was one of 53 student-athletes selected to the
Academic All-America squad for posting a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher
and for placing in the top 15 at the NCAA Regional or earning All-America
honors at the NCAA Championships. Sims, who also was named Verizon
Academic All-District VI in May, finished 12th as an individual at the
NCAA South Central Regional meet in College Station, Texas, last November,
helping lead the Longhorns to a second-place team finish and a trip to the
NCAA Championships where they finished 28th. The art history major posted
the 14th-best GPA on the Academic All-American squad. |
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| 7/15/02 | ||||||||
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Q&A – Erin Sims/Cross Country
Erin Sims is a talented and hard-working senior from
Pascagoula, Miss. An All-American on the track in the 1,500 meters, Sims
is one of the top returning cross country runners in the Big 12
Conference. She has helped the Longhorns qualify for the NCAA
Championships two out of the past three years and has earned All-South
Central Region honors each of the past three seasons. Sims recently
visited with www.TexasSports.com to discuss training, weather and music. |
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4/28/03 Women's Athletics annual year-end awards announced AUSTIN, TEXAS -- The 29th annual University of Texas Women's Athletics All Sports Awards presentation took place on Monday, April 28th at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The awards presentation, featuring nine special honors and 88 endowed scholarship awards, also recognized the Most Valuable Players from all Longhorn women's teams. Additionally, there was a music video tribute to all the 11 sports, as well as recognition of this year's Big 12 Conference team championships and UT's NCAA National Championship participants. The Awards presentation was underwritten by the University Co-op Bookstore. Guest speaker was Dr. Terry Sullivan, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in the UT Systems administration. Dr. Sullivan made special note of the fact that an impressive 56 percent of the Longhorn female student-athletes (a total of 93) achieved a 3.0 grade-point average (GPA) or higher over the previous calendar year, while 38 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring of 2002 and fall of 2002 semesters.
Headlining the Women's Athletics award recipients were five student-athletes who received Texas Athletics' highest departmental honors. The 2002-03 Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the senior who exhibits the greatest combination of performance in athletics, academics and community achievement, went to All-American senior cross country/track & field standout Erin Sims (Pascagoula, MS/Pascagoula HS). Sims is an 11-time All-Big 12 selection in both cross country and distance events, earned All-America outdoor honors in the 1,500 meters, and has been a NCAA All-Region selection in cross country. An art history major with a 3.85 GPA, is an Big 12 All-Academic First Team selection and a University Scholar who has been elected into the elite Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Additionally, Sims has been granted a Fullbright Award and will use that award to study art restoration in Germany this summer. |
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6/18/03 Sims awarded two postgraduate scholarships
AUSTIN, Texas – A day after being named a third team Verizon Academic All-American, senior Erin Sims (Pascagoula, Miss./Pascagoula) has been awarded postgraduate scholarships from the NCAA and Big 12 Conference for her success on the track and in the classroom. Sims received one of nine postgraduate scholarships worth $6,900 each handed out by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee for the 2003 indoor track and field season. She is one of two recipients from the Big 12 Conference — Missouri's Knut Summerfeldt is the other — and one of five female indoor track and field athletes in the entire nation honored with a postgraduate scholarship. To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete must have behaved, both on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete, the institution and intercollegiate athletics. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a full-time or part-time graduate student. Sims also is the recipient of one of 24 postgraduate scholarships worth $5,000 each awarded by the Big 12 Conference for the 2002-03 academic year. She was one of two UT student-athletes to receive a postgraduate scholarship this year — Sean Foley of the men's swimming and diving team is the other — and the first Longhorns track and field athlete to be awarded in the seven-year history of the conference. A committee of three faculty athletics representatives, one senior woman administrator and one director of athletics form the selection group for the postgraduate scholarship awards, which help student-athletes continue their formal education. Criteria for these awards include a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, participation in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the scholar-athlete's respective institution and completion of athletic eligibility. The scholar-athlete must graduate from their member institution within 15 months of selection as postgraduate scholarship recipients are expected to enroll in graduate/professional schools within two years after graduation. Sims, a six-time Academic All-Big 12 selection in cross country and track and field and a two-time Verizon Academic All-District VI choice, capped her UT career by finishing fourth in the 1,500 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and fifth in the 1,500m at the NCAA Mid-West Regional. An All-American in 2001, she advanced to her fourth NCAA Outdoor Championships last week, finishing 10th in her preliminary heat of the 1,500m. Sims also recently received the prestigious Fullbright Award and she plans to use that to study art restoration in Germany later this summer. |
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6/17/03 Sims named third team Academic All-American
AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Erin Sims (Pascagoula, Miss./Pascagoula) has been named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America University Women's Cross Country/Track and Field third team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). This is the first appearance on the Academic All-America team for Sims, a two-time Academic All-District VI selection and a six-time first team Academic All-Big 12 choice in cross country and track. The art history major was one of 15 student-athletes chosen to the third team and is one of just four student-athletes from schools in the state of Texas (Rice has other three) to make any of the three teams. She also is the only selection who hails from the state of Mississippi. Sims, an outdoor All-American in 2001, capped her UT career by finishing fourth in the 1,500 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and fifth in the 1,500m at the NCAA Mid-West Regional. She advanced to her fourth NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 10th in her preliminary heat of the 1,500m on June 12. Sims recently received the prestigious Fullbright Award and she plans to use that to study art restoration in Germany later this summer. |
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6/2/03 Barra, Sims named first team Academic All-District
AUSTIN, Texas – Seniors Kevin Barra (Katy, Texas/Taylor) and Erin Sims (Pascagoula, Miss./Pascagoula) have been named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District VI University Track and Field/Cross Country first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). This is the second straight appearance on the first team for Sims, a six-time first team Academic All-Big 12 selection in cross country and track. The art history major was one of 10 student-athletes chosen to the first team from the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Sims recently finished fourth in the 1,500 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and fifth in the 1,500m at the NCAA Mid-West Regional, securing a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 11-14, in Sacramento, Calif. Barra, also a six-time Academic All-Big 12
choice in track and cross country, is making his first appearance on the
Academic All-District team. A three-time All-Academic national team member
in cross country, the government major, is one of 11 student-athletes on
the men's Academic All-District first team. Barra won his first conference
title in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships on
May 19 and recently qualified for the NCAA Outdoor with a fourth-place
showing in the steeple at the NCAA Mid-West Regional. |
