UIW enters Lone Star Conference

Dominic Hamilton holds the ball as Thomas Rebold kicks an extra point in UIW’s win over Southwestern Oklahoma on Sept. 18.

In July, UIW officially became the 16th member of the NCAA’s Lone Star Conference, a league that has nearly 80 years of history behind it.

The Lone Star Conference sponsors championships in 16 sports, eight men’s and eight women’s. Incarnate Word will be the sole member to compete in all 16. The 16 members of the LSC include nine Texas schools, six in Oklahoma and one in New Mexico.

“There will be challenges in travel,” Athletics Director Mark Papich said. “And we will be competing for positions in postseason play in a larger conference. That makes each and every contest important at the moment it occurs.”

Player of the Week

Incarnate Word players are already taking home Lone Star Conference awards, as sophomore running back Trent Rios became the Lone Star Conference South Division offensive player of the week for his performance Sept. 18.

The award is a first for UIW.

Each week, the LSC honors one offensive player, one defensive player, and one player from special teams for both the south and north divisions of the league. Rios accounted for 176 all-purpose yards to earn the league award.

First LSC Wins

The Incarnate Word volleyball team earned UIW’s first victory as a member of the Lone Star Conference with a win over Southwestern Oklahoma on Sept. 18.

Also that night, the Cardinal football team won its first game in the LSC by defeating Central Oklahoma 42-41 in overtime.