The Future is Bright for Sul Ross Athletics Entering the DII Era
By Dawson Beard, Skyline Editor
ALPINE - With the opening kickoff of the first game of the 2024 football season Aug. 29, Sul Ross State University officially launched the Division II era of Athletics. This era brings with it a bevy of new opportunities and aid for Sul Ross student-athletes that were not available to them in Division III, along with some new faces at the helm of various programs.
The Skyline was able to sit down with Athletic Director Amanda Workman to discuss the changes within the department, and how monumental this transition is for student-athletes.
The first major changes within Sul Ross Athletics took place in its front office, as two new coaches have burst on the scene looking to make an immediate impact in their respective sports. Caleb Abney, formerly of Lancaster Bible College, will take up the mantle of the Sul Ross baseball program, bringing with him years of coaching experience at all levels of the game.
“He’s one of the most exciting hires I’ve made since I’ve been here.” Workman said, “Coach Abney brings a wealth of experience to baseball that I think is really going to elevate the program, and he’s also very community-minded.”
Annika Canaba will be taking over the volleyball program from her father, Troy Canaba, who led the program since 2017. Annika Canaba was an exceptional player for Sul Ross Volleyball, playing five seasons and breaking the all-time SRSU kills record in the process. Canaba also served for one season as the assistant volleyball coach under her father in 2023. Following her hiring announcement, many had reservations about handing a young coach with little experience a brand new DII program, however Workman addressed these qualms stating the following:
“There’s a whole bunch of coaches in this office [that have done what she is doing] successfully. We have a tendency to promote people from being assistants to their first head job within the department, and I have seen a lot of success in doing that.”
Other new hires on SRSU coaching staffs include former Lobo basketball player, Kayley Diaz, who will serve under Canaba as the new Assistant Coach of Sul Ross Volleyball, as well as former Sul Ross softball player, Samantha Chavez, who will serve under Head Coach Troy Canaba as the new Assistant Coach of Sul Ross Softball.
Workman told the Skyline that she is looking to fill multiple positions within the department that are currently vacant, and that a new position is being created within the department- the Assistant Sports Information Director. This new position will provide much needed assistance to Sul Ross SID Peter Dindinger. Workman hopes to hire someone for the position in the coming weeks.
The Skyline was also able to discuss scholarship information with Amanda Workman that wasn’t available to her when this topic was last covered.
In Division II, the maximum allowable number of scholarships for student-athletes is determined by the size of a roster. Because women’s rosters are generally smaller than men’s rosters, DII operates on a partial-scholarship model, and because SRSU is in the lower levels of funding for its sports teams, out of the university’s scholarship pool, women’s rosters currently receive 20% of their maximum allowable scholarships, while men’s rosters receive 10% of their maximum allowable scholarships. It’s a little complicated, but here is a rough explanation of how it works according to Amanda Workman:
If football was fully funded, the maximum number of scholarships that could be given to student-athletes is 36. Due to Sul Ross Athletics’ lower level of funding, Sul Ross football receives only 10% of the maximum scholarships allowed due to the large size of their roster, which means they have roughly 3.6 scholarships to split amongst their players. In contrast, the less-rostered volleyball program is allowed an eight scholarship maximum if they were fully funded, but currently only receive 20% of that, leaving the program with 1.6 scholarships to split.
Since Workman started as SRSU’s Athletic Director in 2021, the student-athlete population has grown significantly from approximately 250 to an estimated 350-375.There could have been many more this year, but Sul Ross Athletics chose to limit the number of student-athletes, but Workman said following the transition there was record interest in individuals wanting to play sports for SRSU.
