UHD Club Sports Spring Update: Winning!
By Justin Sarabia, Sports & Fitness
Club Sports in UHD Sports & Fitness are winning this Spring Semester.
The Wrestling Club team recently competed in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Southwest Conference Championships on Feb. 25 at The University of Texas at Arlington. UHD’s Jermal Sanders finished first place in the men’s 184-pound weight class to secure a conference championship. Along with Sanders, four women wrestlers Starla Probst, Lizbeth Villanueva, Zulema Soberon, and Raven Howes each finished in the top three of their weight class.
After the results, UHD qualified all five wrestlers to compete in the 2023 NCWA National Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 9-11. Sanders won his first two matches and ranked No. 12 in the men’s 184 weight class. The women competed against the top women wrestlers in the country and gained valuable experience to carry over into next season. UHD’s Probst received NCWA’s Academic All-American Honor.
After winning the fall conference title, the Men’s Basketball Club continues its momentum in conference play undefeated at 4-0 by defeating Rice University, North American University, Lone Star College-Cy Fair, and Lone Star College-North Harris. The club resumes conference action following Spring Break at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 24, versus Lone Star College-Tomball, and at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, versus Houston Community College. Both games will be hosted in UHD’s Wellness & Success Center.
The Women’s Volleyball Club is currently 2-1 to begin action in the Lone Star Sport Club Conference. The club began their season with back-to-back wins versus Lone Star College-Cy Fair on the road, and their home opener versus Lone Star College-North Harris. The next game is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, versus Lone Star College-Cy Fair in our new Wellness & Success Center.
Men’s Soccer began its season 2-1 in the Lone Star Sport Club Conference. After defeating rival University of Houston on Feb. 18, the Gators dropped a close game versus Lone Star College-Cy Fair. They regrouped and picked up a strong win versus Houston Community College on March 4. UHD will resume the season at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 25, versus Lone Star College-Cy Fair at Bear Creek Park.
After winning the conference championship in 2022, the Men's Baseball Club started its 2023 campaign with a strong series sweep on the road at Parker University in Dallas, Texas. The Gator offense came out swinging to win three straight games with scores of 10-7, 17-2, and 20-9. UHD will resume its season with a three-game series March 25-26 versus Rice University. A double header is slated for 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 25, at Mason Park and a third game at 9 a.m. on Sunday, March 26, at SpringSpirit.
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates more than 15,000 students, boasts more than 64,000 alumni, and offers 46 bachelor’s degrees, 11 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences & Technology. For the fourth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report ranks UHD among universities across the nation for Best Online Criminal Justice Programs (No. 27 and No. 15 for Veterans) and Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. UHD has the most affordable tuition among four-year universities in Houston and one of the lowest in Texas. U.S. News ranked the University among Top Performers on Social Mobility and awarded UHD a No. 1 ranking as the most diverse institution of higher education in the southern region of the U.S. The University is noted nationally as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution, and Military Friendly School. For more on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit www.uhd.edu.
