FRISCO, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the way with four selections on the 2019-20 Southland Conference Preseason All-Conference squads, the league announced Wednesday. Abilene Christian and Sam Houston State round out the 10-woman preseason squads ahead of the 2019-20 season.Islanders seniors Alexes Bryant and Dalesia Booth were named automatic first-team preseason selections after earning all-conference honors in 2018-19. Dae Dae Evans and Emma Young join the pair as second-team honorees after helping the Islanders through an impressive run to the championship game at the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi entered the tournament as a No. 8 seed and subsequently won three-straight games before falling to Abilene Christian in a 69-68 thriller in the tournament final. Led by head coach Royce Chadwick, the Islanders return 12 players from last year’s roster, including four starters. Second-chance points will play a huge role for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the team concluded last season ranked 19th nationally for offensive rebounds per game (15). Bryant will once again provide efficiency under the basket for the Islanders after finishing her junior campaign averaging 6.6 boards per game and compiling 202 rebounds for the season.Defending champion Abilene Christian added three selections to the preseason squads with seniors Dominique Golightly and Breanna Wright taking automatic first-team distinctions. Lexie Ducat was voted a second-team honoree after playing a key role in the Wildcats 2019 postseason run. ACU is coming off of a 23-10 overall record last season and a 13-5 conference mark that placed the Wildcats as the No. 4 seed in the Southland Tournament. After rattling off three-straight wins, Abilene Christian was crowned champion and received its first automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament. ACU will be rich with experience as four of their five starters from last season return for the upcoming season, three of which are playing their senior seasons. The Wildcats’ offense has the capability to fluster defenses by spreading the floor and efficient shooting from all over. Last season, ACU ranked 23rd in the nation with 16.7 assists per game and 18th nationally with a 45.8 field goal percentage.Sam Houston State rounds out the preseason all-conference squads with three selections of its own. Senior Jaylonn Walker grabbed an automatic spot on the first team, while Amber Leggett and Jenniffer Oramas earned second-team distinctions. The Bearkats are coming off an incredible turnaround season where they finished with a 16-13 overall record and an 11-7 record in conference action. After failing to qualify for the Southland Tournament in the 2017-18 season, the Bearkats secured the No. 5 spot in the 2018-19 tournament under the guidance of reigning Coach of the Year Ravon Justice. Justice enters her second season with Sam Houston State and will look to build upon her first-year successes with four starters returning. Defense will be a key component for SHSU’s success as they completed the 2018-19 season ranked fourth nationally for turnovers forced (22.72).The preseason teams were chosen by a poll of the conference’s head coaches. Voters were not allowed to select their institution’s players.2019-20 Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams Breanna Wright* Abilene Christian G Sr. Jarrell, Texas Dominique Golightly* Abilene Christian G Sr. Chickasha, Okla. Second Team School Pos. Class Hometown Lexie Ducat Abilene Christian F Sr. Brock, Texas Emma Young Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G/F Sr. Nicholasville, Ken. *  Automatic Selection, 2018-19 All-Conference Team Member Alexes Bryant* Texas A&M-Corpus Christi F Sr. Cibolo, Texas Jaylonn Walker* Sam Houston State G Sr. Calvert, Texas Dalesia Booth* Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G Sr. San Antonio, Texas Jenniffer Oramas Sam Houston State G Sr. Pembroke Pines, Fla. Amber Leggett Sam Houston State F So. Navarre, Fla. Dae Dae Evans Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G Sr. Houston, Texas First Team School Pos. Class Hometown read more

Transport Minister, Madam Angela Cassel Bush told the Senate Committee on Public Accounts that the US$10 million allocated for the renovation of the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in the 2012/13 fiscal budget of the airport.Appearing before the Committee Monday, Min. Bush clarified that although her Ministry lacks management oversight of the RIA and is therefore not responsible for how the agency applies its funding, but records from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) has provided a clear breakdown of the usage of the funds.She explained to the lawmakers that over US$5 million of the US$10 million, was used to service RIA’s debt which included, staff salary arrears, baggage claim screening machine and supervision costs.A little over 4 million dollars was expended on the procurement of navigational aid equipment and support for the rehabilitation of the runway.This expenditure, according to the Minister, was necessary to ensure compliance with International Aviation Standards at a time when the airport was at risk of flouting International regulations.The Minister and authorities of the RIA were cited by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and Audit to give reasons for the Chief Executive’s request to ratify a US$60 million for renovation of RIA when US$10 million had earlier been allocated for that purpose.Minister Bush further informed the Committee that although the Ministry of Transport only provides policy guidelines to RIA and is not directly involved in the day-to-day running or management of the airport, the request for ratification of the loan was necessary to bring the airport to acceptable international standards, consistent with the country’s Aviation Master Plan.The Chair of the Senate Committee, Senator Henry Yallah, who presided over the hearing thanked the Minister for providing clarity on the disbursement of the US$10 million and urged her administration to present the Aviation Master Plan to the Senate for review.The Deputy General Manager and the Comptroller of RIA, who were also part of the hearings, told the Committee that disbursement of the funding was executed by the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) and not the management of the RIA.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) read more