Was it bad luck, poor execution, a curse or mere coincidence that both basketball teams, softball, baseball and men’s tennis suffered losses in Dallas? One thing is certain: UTSA athletics faced a mixed bag of results in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over spring break.
Every team stepped into their competitions with a purpose, and despite faltering, the Roadrunners made a statement in North Texas.
Men’s basketball did their best to navigate a rough first season under coach Austin Claunch. No one is to blame when a nearly entirely new roster aided by a new coaching staff enters a relatively new conference and suffers setbacks. Following his press conference, no empathetic person would blame Claunch, as his love for the sport and his team was beyond evident.
“I wish I could have done more for ‘em. I love them, and I am proud of those guys,” Claunch said through tears following the team’s 70-65 loss to East Carolina University. “They’re not the ones lifting the trophy, but they will be the reason when we build our new facility and we do end up winning. These guys are gonna be a big reason and a big part of it.”
Despite recording their sixth consecutive losing season and topping off their second year in the American Athletic Conference as No. 11, the Roadrunners fought until their last game. While their visit to DFW did not go according to plan, there is no doubt that the team will continue to lay the groundwork for future success at home and on the road. While a losing season is hard for any student-athlete to swallow, the more time they give to a school, the more the school could benefit from them. The pieces are absolutely there for the team; they just need time to gel.
The men’s tennis team has had their fair shares of ups and downs as well. Slated with a current 5-8 record, the tennis team may find themselves in a similar spot as the men’s basketball team.
Similar to Claunch, coach Sasha Gozun is currently in his first season as the men’s tennis head coach. Due to transfers and graduations, Gozun has found himself as the leader of a young and relatively new team.
Returning seniors Tiago Torres, Miguel Alonso and Danijal Muminovic have seemingly served as influential and valued members of the team in their final season as Roadrunners. Leading team chants, consistently playing on the top three courts and recording the most wins this season, the seniors are paving the way for the six additions to their team. Just as the team has had to adjust to playing in tumultuous weather this year, they have also had to adjust to a new coaching philosophy and five new freshmen.
On the courts of the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex, UTSA’s men’s tennis team showed flashes of brilliance in doubles play but struggled to carry that momentum into their singles. This has become a recurring theme as the men have suffered 4-0 sweeps in their last three losses. The potential is evident in every player, but according to Gozun, maintaining a strong headspace will be the key to turning competitive efforts into victories.
One team that has not felt the growing pains of new players is the women’s basketball team. With a single new addition to their starting five — the fab five — graduate guard Nina De Leon Negron proved she was a force to be reckoned with and the perfect teammate for senior forward Jordyn Jenkins to close out the season.
Fans witnessed history in the making as the women’s basketball team enjoyed their best season in program history. Sadly, leaving the AAC season as regular season champions was not enough to carry the ‘Runners through the AAC Tournament.
With the weight of history on their shoulders and combatting their fiercest foe — Rice University — UTSA could not pull off the same late-game surge they exhibited in February. Pulling off the best record in the AAC in only their second season is worth mentioning, or even worth ranking. But with a blend of human opinion and numerical analytics, the team did not earn a rank in the AP national poll; however, they did get mentioned for the first time in program history.
While they may not exactly have the weight of the world on their shoulders, UTSA’s softball team is cutting it close to bagging another losing season.
In their 5-3 loss to sister school, the University of Texas at Arlington, the Roadrunners struggled to find their footing during the game’s middle innings. In fact, if it weren’t for the seventh inning efforts from freshman infielder Skylar Rucker and freshman utility Sabrina Wick, the team would have only recorded one point, from Rucker no less.
Right when it looked like UTSA baseball would leave Dallas unscathed, they dropped their weekend series 1-2 to Dallas Baptist University. Among the bright spots was senior outfielder James Taussig who delivered a performance for the ages, crushing three home runs against Dallas Baptist to send the Patriots tumbling. Not only did they snap Dallas Baptists home dominance, but they also proved that their earlier ranked win was not a Tuesday night fluke. This squad has the firepower to hang with the best and will hopefully continue that dominance during Tuesday night’s matchup against No.8 The University of Texas at Austin Longhorns.
Through the highs and lows, the spring break trip to Dallas-Fort Worth showcased the resilience of the student-athletes residing at UTSA. While not every result was favorable, one thing remains clear: the Roadrunners are in the fight and their time is coming.
