FRISCO, Texas – Lamar University seniors Michael Lawson and Bailey Giffen have been named to 2020 Preseason All-Southland Conference teams announced league officials Wednesday morning. Both players received first-team recognition.
 
Two of the biggest storylines of the 2019 campaign, both players took over starting roles early in the season and never relinquished them. Lawson overcame injuries to lead the team in tackles and interceptions during his first season on campus. Lawson recorded 94 tackles to finish 12^th in the Southland. Among his 94 stops, 65 were unassisted. He also recorded 8.5 tackles for losses, forced a fumble, recorded a quarterback hurry and blocked a kick.
 
Lawson also tied for the top spot, and ranked among the nation's leaders, with five interceptions on the season. He helped preserve the Cardinals' upset victory at Sam Houston State when recorded two interceptions against the Bearkats – the first to save a 7-7 tie and force overtime and the second to seal the victory in triple overtime. He was named SLC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
 
Lawson also became known as one of the league's more dominant two-way threats in 2019 after leading the league in punt return average. Lawson returned 17 punts for nearly 180 yards (10.5 ypr). He was the only player in the Southland to average at least 10 yards per return. He closed out the 2019 campaign by earning first-team honors at both defensive back and punt returner.
 
Giffen took over as the starting kicker in the first game of the season. He went on to finish fifth in the Southland Conference in scoring and proved to be one of the nation's more accurate kickers from long distance. Giffen was perfect on PATs during his junior season while converting a league-best 21 field goals. He was 21-of-28 (.750) on field goal attempts, a mark which included a 9-14 (.643) effort from 40 yards and longer, and 2-of-3 on attempts of at least 50 yards.
 
Giffen recorded one of the best games for any Cardinal kicker when he set back-to-back career long field goals against Houston Baptist. The Bryan native booted a 51-yarder in the first quarter and followed that up with a 53-yard make in the second. He finished the game with 14 points and was named STATS FCS National Special Teams and Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
 
Giffen also served as the team's backup punter where he averaged 42.8 yards per punt on 17 attempts. He also averaged nearly 58 yards per kickoff. He closed out the 2019 season earning second-team All-Southland Conference honors.