Madisyn Cox fully expects to be the wide-eyed kid in the room next week, and she’ll have good reason. The 17-year-old Lubbock High swimmer will be standing among the sport’s elite at her first U.S. Olympic Team Trials. “Ever since you’re a kid there was that sense that you want to be someone great, do something great,” Cox said. “I guess that’s where this started. It was just a small, little notion then.”

Texas Tech’s 17 athletic programs are all in good academic standing, according to the latest academic progress reports released by the NCAA on Wednesday. The APR score rewards programs for retaining scholarship athletes and maintaining their eligibility. A score of 1,000 is the highest possible, and 925 is the minimum requirement. Teams that fall below the 925 score are subject to sanctions, such as the loss of scholarships and postseason bans.

Gene Darr had one interception during the three seasons he lettered at Texas Tech, so it’s not difficult for the former defensive tackle to remember the details of the play. The Red Raiders were 1-5 in the Southwest Conference when they hosted No. 6 Arkansas in 1966. Lubbock might have been an afterthought in the season finale for the Razorbacks, who were well on their way to a Southwest Conference title. But in the third quarter, with Arkansas at its own 24-yard line, Darr caught a glimpse of quarterback Jon Brittenum’s eyes as he faded back to pass.

The 2012 season was perhaps the most successful one for high school softball in Lubbock. Three UIL teams — Coronado, Frenship and Cooper — reached the regional semifinals, and TAPPS power Lubbock Christian High made history by becoming the first South Plains squad to reach a state tournament. All four of those schools are well-represented on the Avalanche-Journal’s All-City team. Lauren Heinrich, Cooper’s two-time All-City Pitcher of the Year, earned Player of the Year honors after leading the Lady Pirates to a third consecutive district title.