Texas State women’s golfer Valdis Jonsdottir, pre-interior design freshman, was named Iceland’s 2009 Golfer of the Year. She was honored Jan. 7 by the Icelandic Golf Association and the Kylfingur News.

“It’s a great honor to be named the Golfer of the Year,” Jonsdottir said. “Although we’re not a big population, there is a big competition in the golf world back home, so I’m very pleased.”

Jake Marx/Star photo

The Texas State Titans intramural flag football team has been playing together for three years, representing the school in the highest fashion.

The Texas State women’s tennis team showed no mercy against its foes Saturday at the Texas State Play Day.

Saskla Kruse, exercise and sport science senior, won both of her singles matches Saturday. Kruse defeated Southeastern Louisiana’s Heather

Brien 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of play and Texas-San Antonio’s Nicci Yvanovich 6-2, 6-0 in the second.

Gabriela Rojas, undecided freshman, Nyssa Peele, art senior and Mariana Perez, pre-communication disorders freshman, all won their singles matches.

The Southland Conference Championship, hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, was the last competition of the season for the Texas State men’s and women’s cross country teams.

The Texas State women took home eighth while the men finished in ninth place.

Steffanie Armstrong, exercise and sports science sophomore, was the Bobcats’ top runner throughout the 2009 season. She stayed consistent at the championship, placing first for the Bobcats and 16th overall with 21:51 minutes.

It may never be considered the “American sport,” but paintball has been a popular hobby for decades.

Paintball started in New Hampshire in 1981 with 12 players participating in the first-ever game. Hayes Noel, Wall Street stockbroker, and Bob Guernsey, ski shop owner, made the rules of the game.

Paintball first arrived at Texas State when Austin Wells, pre-psychology junior, and Hunter Davis, international studies senior, were freshmen in 2006. The sport club was added the following year.

The Texas State women’s golf team continued its fall competition Monday and Tuesday at the Heather Farr Memorial Invitational hosted by Colorado.

The Bobcats competed in the 20-team field on the par-72, 6,350-yard course along with fellow Southland Conference opponent, Texas-San Antonio.

“We were excited to travel up to Colorado and get right back into action,” said Coach Mike Akers. “We didn’t finish well in Kentucky’s event. We put ourselves into position to win the event and didn’t close it.”

The Texas State men’s and women’s cross country teams were back in action Saturday after three weeks vacation from competition. They traveled to Stillwater, Okla., to race in the Cowboy Jamboree against Division I and II institutions.

Michael Morris, biology sophomore, was the first Bobcat to cross the line with a time of 26:31, finishing in the middle of the field.

All the underclassmen at the meet, including three freshmen and two sophomores.

After two consecutive weather-shortened tournaments, the Texas State women’s golf team finished seventh in a field of 15 teams at the Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invitational in Lexington, Ky.

“We are getting better in the extremely wet conditions after (Texas) A&M and UK (Kentucky),” said Coach Mike Akers. “I think our underclassmen should be gaining confidence.”

Valdis Jonsdottir, pre-interior design freshman, led Texas State after the first day of the tournament. She shot an even par 72.

The gun fires for the Texas State men’s and women’s cross country teams’ 2009 season Saturday at the Texas State Invitational in San Marcos.

The Bobcats had a summer training program followed by fall practices, which began one week before school started.

Coach Grigori Viniar said he hopes to find out where the team stands in comparison to other Southland Conference schools and how Texas State’s summer training program fared for the runners.