Former UT Arlington outfielder Hunter Pence wasted no time showing his prowess after joining the Houston Astros in late April. In his first 73 games as the team’s center fielder, he hit .330 with 12 home runs, 45 runs batted in and eight stolen bases before a wrist injury sidelined him for a month. He earned National League Co-Player of the Week honors early in the season and was named the NL Player of the Month for May. He was a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year before the injury. After returning to action in August, he set an Astros rookie record for extra-base hits in a season.
Membership in the Junior Maverick Club for 2007-08 is open to youngsters 12 and under. Benefits include admission to UT Arlington home athletic events, a Junior Maverick T-shirt, a quarterly e-newsletter, an invitation to special events with coaches and players, and an opportunity to be a ball boy or ball girl at a home basketball game. Membership is $20, and $15 for each additional child in the household. For more information and a registration form, visit www.utamavs.com.
Jon McDowell advanced to the finals of the 110-meter hurdles to earn all-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif., in June. He finished ninth and is the first UT Arlington track performer named all-American since 2002.
Former UT Arlington sprinter Jared Connaughton and his Canadian teammates finished second in the 4x100-meter relay in the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July. Connaughton just missed a trip to the finals of the 200-meter dash after finishing fifth in the semifinals. He was third in the 200 at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Windsor, Ontario, earlier in July.
Track and field standouts Byron Majors and Coby Morrison were named to the 2007 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Men’s Division I All-Academic Track and Field Team announced in July. Morrison, Jon McDowell, Ivorita Taylor, Jodi Hulett, Linda Rosema and Vanessa Maida were named to the Southland Conference Track and Field All-Academic Team in June.
Senior first baseman Dee Jay Nelson received the Southland Conference’s Steve McCarty Citizenship Award, which recognizes student-athletes who exhibit outstanding citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership and community service. Junior outfielder Katie Jones was named to the All-South Region second team, while Nelson, Katie Jones and junior pitcher Laura Jones were named to the SLC Softball All-Academic Team.
Senior golfer Zack Reeves used a final-round even-par 72 to finish fifth at the 98th Texas State Amateur Championship at Whispering Pines Golf Course in Trinity, Texas, in June. Reeves was also named to the SLC Men’s Golf All-Academic Team. … Senior Alberto Agis was named to the SLC Men’s Tennis All-Academic Team. … The New York Mets drafted pitcher Dillon Gee in the Major League Baseball draft in June. Pitcher Matt Sartor signed a free agent contract in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and second baseman K.J. Hendricks is playing for the Fort Worth Cats. … Shane Laflin and Erin Grant have joined the women’s basketball staff as assistant coaches. Jason Porostovsky has joined the men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach. … Former UT Arlington golf coach Mark Hankins, who coached here from 1997-99, has been named golf coach at the University of Iowa. ... The men’s 2007-08 basketball schedule includes 17 home games, the most since the University became a senior college in 1959. Highlighting the matchups is a Nov. 21 game against North Texas. For a complete schedule, visit www.utamavs.com.
Corporate gifts establish Goolsby Academy scholarship, professorship
Alumnus brings crime-solving savvy to reality series
Professors’ book examines fast-paced families
Ceremony also honors men’s track and field teams
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