Athletics
Lamar University competes at the NCAA Division I Level and is currently a member of the Southland Conference. Lamar offers 16 varsity sports, eight for women and eight for men. The eight women’s sports are volleyball, cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track, tennis, soccer and golf. The eight men’s sports are cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track, baseball, football, tennis and golf.
Men’s Basketball
Men’s basketball at Lamar has a rich and storied past, producing such notable coaches as Billy Tubbs, Jack Martin and Pat Foster. The program has been to nine post-season tournaments, including five NCAA Tournaments (1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 2000), reaching the “Sweet Sixteen” in 1980. They have been to four National Invitational Tournaments (1982, 1984, 1985, 1986) as well. Read more...
Baseball
Lamar’s baseball team has been a consistent winner over the years, with much of that success achieved as a result of head coach Jim Gilligan’s hard work. Gilligan, who lettered at Lamar in 1967-1968, has spent over three decades coaching at his alma mater. During his tenure, Lamar has won 10 conference championships, four conference tournament titles and appeared in 12 NCAA Regionals. Read more...
Track and Field
Lamar has won the last five Southland Conference cross country titles, and 10 overall. The men’s team has produced 30 NCAA All-Americans, including two National Champions. Joe LeBlanc was the NCAA College Division Champion in the 880-yards in 1964 and Thomas Eriksson was the NCAA Champion in the high jump in 1985. The women’s team captured the 1992 Sun Belt Conference outdoor championship, and has won three SLC cross country titles. The Lady Cardinals have also produced five AIAW (the precursor to NCAA competition for women) All-Americans. Read more...
Soccer
In the fall of 2007, Lamar added women’s soccer to its list of Division I sports. In just its fourth season of competition, the Lady Cardinals broke through and qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament. The season came to an end with a narrow 1-0 loss to UTSA, but head coach Dewi Hardman has the team primed for another run in 2011.
The Lamar Soccer Complex was opened for competition in 2009 and features coaches offices, locker rooms, a training room and a natural grass surface with lights. The home field advantage came through in 2010 as Lamar finished with a 5-2-2 record on its own pitch. Read more...
Women’s Basketball
Lamar women’s basketball has enjoyed resurgence under head coach Larry Tidwell. The Lady Cardinals just completed a 25-8 season in 2010-11, and earned a spot in the WNIT. Lamar advanced to its second ever NCAA Tournament in 2010 after winning the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles.
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Tennis
The men’s team captured 12 Lone Star Conference Championships and five Southland Conference Championships. Lamar has had two SLC Players of the Year (Jakob Paulsen & Filip Kanczula) over the past eight seasons. The women’s team has won two Southland Conference Championships (1983 &1985) and one American South Conference Championship (1988). Mariaryeni Gutierrez was named SLC Player of the Year in 2010, while Andrea Martinez won the award in 2006. Read more...
Football
Lamar enjoyed a triumphant return to the gridiron in 2010 as the first Lamar football team to take the field since 1989 finished with a 5-6 record. Lamar dropped football at the end of the 1989 season, but competed in 2010 in the newly refurbished Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Cardinals, under the direction of head coach Ray Woodard, nearly knocked off No. 12 McNeese State on the road in their first game in over two decades before falling 30-27. Read more...
Golf
The men’s and women’s golf teams have made their mark at the NCAA level and in the professional ranks. Lamar has dominated the Southland Conference in men’s golf more than any other sport, winning 23 SLC Championships, including seven of the last 10. The highlight for the men’s golf program came in 2007 when Lamar tied for third at the NCAA Championships, finishing behind only Stanford and Georgia.
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Volleyball
After returning to the SLC in 1998, Lamar won regular season titles in 2001 and 2007, and won the SLC Tournament in 2008. The Lady Cards appeared in the 1983,1984, 1993 and 2008 NCAA Championships. Lamar has had 66 players earn all-conference honors, four conference Players of the Year (Liz Blue-1983, Ruby Randolph-1984, Natalie Sarver-2002 and Molli Abel-2007) and one All-American (Blue-1983).
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Facilities
Lamar has some of the finest athletic facilities in the region. Most recently, the Lamar Athletic Complex was completed, housing the Lamar football team as well as other athletic administration. The 54,000-square-foot facility lies at the south end of newly renovated Provost Umphrey Stadium. The complex contains football locker rooms, weight training and sports medicine facilities and academic centers.
The Montagne Center, which opened in 1984 and has a seating capacity of 10,080, is one of the premier basketball arenas in the country. Vincent-Beck Stadium, home of the Cardinal baseball team, hosted the 1993 Sun Belt Conference tournament, and the 2001, 2002 and 2006 Southland Conference tournaments. The LU Soccer Complex opened in 2009 and is one of the top facilities in the Southland Conference. The Lamar Tennis Facility, now named the Thompson Family Tennis Center, received a total renovation in 2009. The Ty Terrell Track, which was resurfaced in 2001, is where the Lamar track program trains. It is also the site of the Ty Terrell Relays, which annually attracts some of the best prep and collegiate track athletes.
When the McDonald Gymnasium opened its doors in 1958, it immediately became a campus landmark. It was the home of basketball, volleyball and high school sports. Today, following a major renovation in 2006, it is the competition venue for Lamar University Volleyball.
