Kevin O’Connor Kommentary June 22

Texas A&M Athletes Enshrined in Hall of Fame

News release from Texas A&M Athletics: BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The 2024 Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class was enshrined Friday evening by the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association inside the Ford Hall of Champions at the 46th Burgess Banquet. The class consisted of Cammile Adams ‘14 (Women’s Swimming & Diving), Alex Caruso ‘16 (Men’s Basketball), Laurie Corbelli (Volleyball), Amy Berend Hidalgo ‘08 (Soccer), Brenda Goldsmith Hocott ’78 (Women’s Golf), Breeja Larson ’14 (Women’s Swimming & Diving), Seth McKinney ’01 (Football) and Ross Stripling (Baseball). Additionally, Kay Don and Duke Butler III were recognized as Hall of Honor and Lifetime Achievement Award winners, respectively. The Hall of Honor is reserved for individuals who have gone above and beyond in contributions and support of the athletic programs at Texas A&M. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes lettermen, who after graduation, have gone on to gain prominence through his or her efforts in industry, commerce, technology, athletics, the professions or other worthy endeavors. For more information on the Lettermen’s Association and the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame, visit aggielettermen.org. 2024 Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class Bios Cammile Adams ‘14 – Women’s Swimming & Diving Cammile Adams is a two-time U.S. Olympian who enjoyed a stellar four-year swimming career in Aggieland. A 10-time All-American, Adams won a pair of individual NCAA Championships and earned six conference titles, including two 200 fly crowns in both the Big 12 and the SEC. Adams is one of just two Aggies to ever repeat as an NCAA Champion after posting the fastest time in the 200 fly in 2013 and 2014. She remains the school record holder in the 200 fly with a time of 1:52.19 set at the 2014 SEC Championships. The Cypress, Texas, native earned Big 12 titles in the 500 free in 2011 and 400 IM in 2012. Midway through her collegiate career, Adams represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, finishing fifth in the 200 fly. Four years later, she served as a captain for Team USA on the women’s side at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Internationally, she also earned gold at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships and silver at the 2015 World Championships in the 200 fly. Adams helped the Aggies win a team Big 12 title in 2012 along with finishing as conference runner-up her other three seasons. She also led a contingent that recorded program best fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2014. After her competitive career, Adams continues to spread the joy of her sport, owning six SafeSplash Swim Schools around the Houston area. Adams was inducted into the Texas Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame in October 2021. Alex Caruso ’16 – Men’s Basketball One of the greatest playmakers in Texas A&M men’s basketball history, Alex Caruso led the Aggies to one of the winningest four-year spans in school history, including a school-record 28 victories, the 2016 SEC Regular Season Championship and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2015-16. The College Station native’s collegiate career from 2013 to 2016 was highlighted by his recognition as the 2016 SEC Defensive Player of the Year by CBSSports.com and his inclusion in the SEC All-Defensive Team by the coaches the same year. Additionally, he was honored as the 2016 Texas A&M Male Athlete of the Year at the Building Champions Awards. Throughout his time at Texas A&M, the two-time All-SEC selection etched his name in the record books. He became the only player in SEC history to accumulate over 1,000 points, 600 assists, 250 steals, and 500 rebounds. His versatility and consistency earned him two All-SEC team selections. Caruso’s impact on the court is further evidenced by his numerous school records. He holds the career records for steals (276), steals in conference games (133), assists (649), and assists in conference games (335). His durability and reliability are reflected in his records for games played in conference (72) and his ranking third in overall games played (137) and games started (120). His contributions also place him fourth in minutes played (3,933) and third in minutes played in conference (2,142). Caruso’s all-around performance is highlighted by his 513 career rebounds and 1,090 career points, ranking him 27th and 31st, respectively. In individual single-season records, Caruso is noted for his high assists and steals counts. He recorded 185 assists in the 2015-16 season, placing him fourth, along with other top-10 seasonal performances in assists and steals. His leadership was evident from his freshman year, setting the record for steals with 61, and continued through his junior and senior years with significant records in assists, steals, and minutes played. Transitioning to his professional career, Caruso has continued to shine in the NBA. He was a crucial part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA Championship team. His defensive skills earned him a spot on the 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive Team, and he received the 2023-24 NBA Hustle Award. Over his seven-year NBA career, he has played for the Los Angeles Lakers (2017-21) and Chicago Bulls (2021-24), and he was recently traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Laurie Corbelli – Volleyball A 25-year head coach for the Aggies, Laurie Corbelli is synonymous with Texas A&M volleyball. Corbelli served as the Aggies’ skipper from 1993-2017, amassing 519 wins, the most in school history. Under Corbelli’s leadership, the Aggies boasted 14 All-Americans, as well as 24 All-America honorable mentions. Held in high esteem among peers, she was named AVCA Region Coach of the Year on three occasions as well as being named conference coach of the year six times. Corbelli was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019. She served as a collegiate head coach for 32 years with prior stints at San Francisco and Santa Clara to register a 619-358 career record, including 519-252 at Texas A&M. In the postseason, Corbelli led the Aggies to the Elite Eight in 1999 and 2001. The Aggies reached the Sweet Sixteen six times during her tenure. She won […]

Bryan Woman Enters Guilty Pleas In Six Criminal Cases

A Bryan woman and the Brazos County district attorney’s office reach a plea agreement on four felony and two misdemeanor criminal cases that took place between October of 2017 and April of 2023. 39 year old Ernestine Williams will serve two years for felony robbery and felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that took place in August 2021. That punishment also covers guilty pleas in a misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury in April 2023 and felony drug cases that took place in October and December of 2017. Online court records also show Williams pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving with an invalid license in November 2021 where prosecution was barred. While the pleas were made August 1st, Williams remained out of jail on bond until Thursday (September 5th), where online jail records show she was booked for the 23rd time since January of 2002.

College Station Police Update on WTAW

Billy Couch, Chief of Police, visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about traffic during Aggie football games, department statistics, non-officer positions within the department, the evolution of the Northgate district, property crimes, home security cameras, storing bodycam video, using drones, school zones, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Friday, September 6, 2024. Listen to “College Station Police Chief Billy Couch on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.