The West Texan: Champions

West Texas A&M University is home to one of the most successful athletic programs in all of NCAA Division II, and the 2020-21 campaign proved that in the face of uncertain times involving a global pandemic. WT implemented strict but effective protocols that allowed the Buffs and Lady Buffs to succeed on the field as well as in the classroom.

Photo: This article originally appeared in the Fall '21 issue of The West Texan. Click the image to read the entire issue.

The 2020-21 season saw WT claim seven Lone Star Conference regular season championships, three LSC tournament titles, three regional championships, four Top 3 track & field finishes, a men's basketball national title game appearance, and the 2021 NCAA Division II Softball National Championship.

The 2021 Lady Buffs softball squad capped off a magical run through the NCAA College World Series on June 1 as they defeated Biola 4-1 at the Regency Athletic Complex in Denver to claim the program’s second Division II National Championship. Head Coach Michael Mook and the Lady Buffs finished the season 43-12 overall as they became just the fourth active Division II institution to win multiple national titles on the softball diamond.

WT’s Shanna McBroom was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association DII National Player of the Year and National Catcher of the Year. The Sachse native finished her five-year career in the program’s Top 10 in hits, triples, home runs, at-bats, runs and games played after hitting .429 with 13 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs and 37 RBIs as a senior.

Photo: Benjamin Azamati, center, finished off his first full collegiate season in style, being named the USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year and then racing for home country Ghana in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Canyon can also add “Home of an Olympian” to its bragging points as track star Benjamin Azamati represented Ghana at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo where he ran the second leg on the 4x100-meter relay that qualified for the final ahead of the U.S. team. He also competed in the 100-meter dash running 10.13, just 0.1 seconds away from qualifying for the semifinal.

Azamati, the 2021 recipient of the EMY African Man of the Year award, registered one of the best seasons of any NCAA Division II sprinter in history as he broke the 100-meter and 200-meter records along with winning three individual national titles. He won the 100-meter and 200-meter titles along with anchoring the 4x100-meter relay to a runner-up finish at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships as the Buffs finished a program-best second. He also was named the Lone Star Conference Athlete of the Year after sweeping both sprint titles in record fashion.

The WT baseball team made history in 2021 as they claimed the program’s third Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship on their way to their first appearance in the South Central Regional Finals. Matt Vanderburg and the Buffs went 34-9 overall for their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Postseason as they claimed the LSC title with a mark of 28-4.

Men’s track & field put the finishing touches on the best season in program history on May 29 with a second-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Allendale, Michigan. The Buffs finished on the podium for the first time outdoors finishing with 55 points with nine All-Americans and three National Champions on the final day of competition.

WT’s Zada Swoopes broke the meet record in the shot put as the Lady Buffs finished on the podium for the fourth time in program history at the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Whitewright native has now won four national titles during her career with three of those coming in the shot put as she was named the USTFCCCA National Women's Field Athlete of the Year.

Photo: Shanna McBroom was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Player of the Year as the senior catcher hit .426 on the season with seven home runs and 37 RBI.

Photo: Eric Ortiz hit .322 and drove in 25 RBIs as the Buffs won the Lone Star Conference regular season championship on their way to the program's seventh-consecutive appearance in NCAA post-season action.

Photo: Zada Swoopes continued to rewrite the Division II track & field record book as the junior set a new meet record on her way to her second Division II shot put national title.