Aug. 29, 2010

Texas A&M International University Athletics will launch its third year as a full NCAA Division II and Heartland Conference member with all five fall sports programs seeing action this week.

Men's soccer gets things started with a tough non-conference road game on Thursday against 19th ranked Midwestern State. The Mustangs hold a 2-0-1 advantage in the all-time series but the teams played two evenly matched contests last season.

MSU prevailed 1-0 in Laredo in the first matchup last season. The Dustdevils and Mustangs then fought to a 0-0 draw in the rematch at Wichita Falls.

TAMIU caps a tough opening week by opening Heartland Conference play at St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon. The South Texas rivals have played since TAMIU's inaugural season in 2002 with the Dustdevils holding a 6-5-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Volleyball begins the 2010 season at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Classic on the campus of Texas Woman's University in Denton. The Dustdevils will open the tournament against Arkansas Tech and Henderson State on Friday before facing Harding and Drury on Saturday.

Women's soccer will play a couple of neutral site games at St. Mary's University in San Antonio this weekend. The Dustdevils will face Lone Star Conference foe Southwestern Oklahoma on Friday before playing former Red River Athletic Conference rival Northwood on Sunday.

Cross Country will provide the only home action of the week by hosting the Texas A&M International Invitational on Saturday morning. The meet will take place at the TAMIU Cross Country course on campus with the women's 5K slated for a 7:30 a.m. start and the men's 5K an 8 a.m. start.

Other teams scheduled to compete in this year's TAMIU Invitational are St. Mary's and UT-Permian Basin.