University of Houston Athletics
Check-In with Chris
8/30/2019 9:59:00 AM | General
A message from Houston Athletics Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman
With the 2019-2020 athletics year underway, I hope all Houston fans are ready for another memorable season.
Our soccer program officially opened the athletics calendar last weekend picking up a win over Sam Houston State. Under the leadership of new head coach David Rehr, our volleyball program opens its season this week inside Fertitta Center with the Flo Hyman Collegiate Club. Cross country also heads to Bryan, Texas, on Friday for their first competition of the season.
Along with the thousands of Cougar fans heading to Norman this weekend, we are also excited to see Dana Holgorsen and his football program debut on national television this weekend against No. 4 Oklahoma. As the only game being played on Sunday night, this opportunity gives our program a chance to be highlighted in front of millions of college football fans to begin the season.
But as we turn the page to a new year, I want to highlight our past success over the last 12 months.
Looking back at our Athletics Department's growth over the last 10 years, I challenge anyone to find another university which has come farther in competition and in the classroom than the University of Houston. The strides our student-athletes are making daily in the classroom and in competition are what make our athletics department among the nation's elite.
Classroom – More than 400 student-athletes posted a cumulative GPA of 2.94 following the spring semester, setting a record for the second time in the last three years.
More than 100 student-athletes earned places on the Dean's List with nearly 70 young men and women receiving their bachelor's degrees.
Three Houston student-athletes – sprinter Mario Burke (men's track & field), pitcher Savannah Heebner (softball) and swimmer Peyton Kondis (swimming & diving) – were named the American Athletic Conference's Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their respective sports, while women's golfer Leonie Harm was named the league's overall Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Together, this group received $10,000 in scholarships for their achievements.
Competition – Six sport programs – men's basketball, swimming & diving, women's indoor track & field, men's indoor track & field, women's golf, men's outdoor track & field – captured American Athletic Conference championships, marking the third straight season Houston earned five-plus titles.
Twelve teams competed in the NCAA postseason, while six sport programs' head coaches/coaching staffs were recognized by the American Athletic Conference.
For the second straight season, men's outdoor track & field finished third nationally at the NCAA Championships, while men's basketball finished No. 11/12 in the final national polls after advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Our football program enters a new era under Coach Holgorsen, and I know TDECU Stadium will be one of the best places in the country to watch college football in 2019. Kelvin Sampson is the two-time defending American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, and college basketball fans across the country saw his award-winning work a year ago.
Leroy Burrell has placed our men's and women's Track programs among the nation's elite programs and maintained that level of excellence. Under the leadership of Ryan Wochomurka, swimming & diving has won three straight conference titles, and Kristin Vesely led our softball program to the championship game of the NCAA Austin Regional. Gerrod Chadwell's women's golf program has won three of the last four American Athletic Conference Championships titles and earned NCAA Regional bids in each of the last five seasons.
As 2019-20 season begins, I thank you for your continued support of Houston Athletics and our student-athletes and ask for your help in bringing new fans to our beautiful campus.
Our HOUSTON713 #TheTimeIsNow campaign is using local alumni, friends and supporters and their professional and personal networks to reach new season-ticket members and build our base. Recently we also signed a new agreement with Oak View Facilities Group, allowing our athletics department to enhance our operations for concessions and facility management as we continue to build a premier gameday experience for our fans.
We continue to seek new entertainment options inside our athletics facilities and we have plenty of exciting opportunities ahead of us. The Fertitta Center recently hosted the PBR's Houston Invitational. TDECU Stadium will be home of the Houston's XFL Franchise – the Houston Roughnecks, which begins its inaugural season in February.
We have come far in the last decade, and we must continue to grow revenue to match the financial commitments of the department and provide our student-athletes and coaches the best environment in which they can thrive and compete at the highest levels.
Truly, there has never been a better time to be a Houston Cougar, and the best is still to come with your support. I look forward to seeing everyone at all our athletics facilities throughout the 2019-20 season.
Go Coogs!
