Waxahachie, TX

September 26, 2018 | Blake Cochran

Featured Athlete of the Month: Tluang Hmung

TH is a 5’8, junior kicker who is having a great season so far from Lewisville High School . Hmung is ranked is the nation for every category you can think of for a kicker. He sits in 1st place for field goal percentage at 100%, 9th in field goals per game with 1.300, 10th in total field goals (5), 16th in total scoring (kicking, 28), 19th scoring (kicking) per game (7.000), and PAT kicking percentage at 92.9%. For his career at SAGU, he has connected on 9/12 field goals for a 75% rating and made a career-long this year at 44 yards.

Hmung is from the Chin state of Burma where he once lived in a tough situation with his mom, dad, brother, and sister. Burma is where he and his family lived through religious persecution first-hand. The Hmung family were Christians but lived in a culture that was 90% Buddhist . “My biggest memory from my time living in Burma is waking up early in the morning and going to Sunday school with friends,” said Hmung. His time in Burma was coming to an end when his family decided to flee Burma and head to Malaysia when he was ten, “It took us about eight hours to get to Malaysia and we walked in the middle of the night,” explains Hmung, “The reason for leaving Burma is simply to have a better life here.” Being in Malaysia for a brief period, his family made another decision to leave but this time leaving that part of the country for good. His grandfather lived in America , and it would be the best decision for them to head to Texas . Once plans were in place, the family packed up and headed to Lewisville . This move would tail in at 8,500 miles across the world to their new life. “When I arrived here, I was just overwhelmed. Everything was different, the food, people, houses. I also didn’t speak any English.” Over the past 12 years, T. Hmung has made a name for himself on the football field, a sport that was unknown to him in Burma. In middle school, his dad urged him to try-out for football. Kicking made sense since he had always played soccer. The position fit him perfectly, and his career took off.

Here are some facts about Tluang Hmung:

Extracurricular Activities? Fishing

What does playing in the NAIA mean to you? Opportunity

What do you enjoy most about being a college athlete and/or playing your sport? Being around teammates

Favorite Sports Team? Barcelona

Favorite Athlete? Messi

Favorite Movie? Rush Hour

Favorite Artist and/or Album? Gaither Vocal Band

What are your plans after graduating from college? Youth Ministry

What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas because I love spending time with my family

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment? Making a game-winning field goal at Lewisville High School

If you were stranded on an island for the rest of your life and could only bring three books and three movies, what would they be?   Books: Bible and Desiring God Movies: Rush Hour, Sniper, Karate Kids

If you could splurge on one item, what would it be? I would spend it with family

Are you involved in any clubs/organizations outside of athletics? I’m the music director at my church

You can catch Hmung and the Lions this Saturday at 12 pm when Ottawa University visits Waxahachie for a SAC battle. Ottawa currently is 6th place in the conference with 1-2 SAC record coming off a 51-11 win against Lyon College .

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu