VOLLEYBALL TEAM TAKES THIRD. The volleyball team finished third in the Southland Conference regular season behind Texas State and Stephen F. Austin, which tied for first. The Lady Mavs defeated Sam Houston State in the first round of the conference tournament but lost in the semifinals to Texas State, which went on to win the tournament and earn an automatic NCAA berth. Senior Caley Smith was named to the all-tournament team and junior Ashley Van Antwerp to the first-team All-Southland Conference squad. Smith and senior Heather Dunn were named second-team all-conference.

SEYMOUR TO CONTINUE AS VOLLEYBALL COACH. Diane Seymour was named head volleyball coach Nov. 22, two days after the Mavericks finished the season 24-7 and placed third in the Southland Conference with a 15-5 mark. Seymour had been interim head coach since late July when longtime coach Janine Smith resigned.

GOLFERS ENJOY GREAT FALL SEASON. UTA put together one of its best fall seasons ever, winning two tournaments and finishing second in three others. Coach Jay Rees’ squad captured team titles at both the SMU Invitational and the Squire Creek Intercollegiate in Ruston, La. The Mavericks added second-place finishes in the Baylor Invitational and the Fall Beach Classic in Mobile, Ala., and tied for second at the Northwest Collegiate Classic in Corvallis, Ore. Junior Jeff Murray won a playoff to take medalist honors at the SMU Invitational, and junior Tyrone Mordt finished first at the Mobile event.

NETTERS WIN TITLES. Junior Ian Vazquez-Rowe won the men’s open singles title at the Baylor Intercollegiate Fall Invitational in September, while junior Sandy Farquharson won the flight A title at the Hibernia Ragin’ Cajun Tennis Classic in Lafayette, La., in October. The UTA doubles team of sophomore Kyle Mims and freshman Alberto Agis won the flight B doubles title at Lafayette. For the women’s team, sophomore Daniela Novakova and freshman Pavla Mesterova both finished undefeated at the Hurricane Invitational in Tulsa, Okla., in September.

FRESHMAN RUNNER LEADS WOMEN. Freshman cross country runner Jodi Hulett finished fourth and earned all-conference honors in November at the 2004 Southland Conference Cross Country Championships in Beaumont. UTA finished fifth in the women’s division with 136 points. Hulett went on to finish 48th at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship in Waco. Led by junior Daniel Noah, the men’s team finished fifth in the conference meet.

ATHLETICS NAMES DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR. Joe Biedron was named athletics development director in October. Formerly of Las Cruces, N.M., where he was CEO and president of the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, he has been athletic business director at Fresno State and director of athletics at New Mexico State and El Paso Community College. He replaces Butch McBroom, who retired at the end of August.

VOLLEYBALLER NAMED TO ACADEMIC TEAM. Junior Melissa Marek was named to the Academic All-District VI women’s volleyball first team announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. An accounting major with a 3.986 grade-point average, she was second in the Southland Conference with 1.14 blocks per game last season.

UTA OUTFIELDER WINS METROPLEX AWARD. The Society for American Baseball Research named outfielder Hunter Pence its 2004 Metroplex College Baseball Player of the Year. Pence was the 2004 Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year as he batted .395 during the spring season. He was drafted in the second round by the Houston Astros and played in the New York-Penn League during the summer.