football team needs all the practice it can get

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 | 5

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FOOTBALL

‘They were deconditioned’: Dana Holgorsen says UH needs weeks of practice before first game

ANDY YANEZ

SPORTS EDITOR @ AYANEZ_5

The Houston football team is 25 days away from kicking off the 2020 season as of Tuesday afternoon, and while the Cougars have been back since mid-July for workouts, head coach Dana Holgorsen knows they are ways away from being ready for the first game on the schedule.

“(We are) still three and half weeks away (until the Memphis game), and I think we need it,” Holgorsen said on Tuesday afternoon during a Zoom video conference call with media.

The head coach said that the Cougars have had to battle through a bunch of adversity since initially returning to campus for voluntary workouts on June 1.

“We were without (the players) for three to four months,” Holgorsen said. “(When) we came back on June 1, they were deconditioned. We got a couple of weeks with them. We made some gains and then we had to hit the pause button again. Then we got them back mid-July, and they were deconditioned.”

One challenge that UH has been able to avoid since returning to campus in mid-July according to the head coach, however, has

Head coach Dana Holgorsen said he is aiming for 25-30 practices before the start of the season against Memphis. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar

been COVID-19 stoppage, which has allowed them to get the student-athletes into a routine needed to ramp up conditioning, but the staff is not rushing the players to get to that point.

“It’s been good,” he said. “We’ve been back for about five weeks. (We’re) trying to ease everyone back into it. You’ve got to be careful with how much volume you’re giving your guys because you want to be fresh and ready for that first game.”

Even though UH got to have nine practices in the spring, Holgorsen does not believe

that those workouts have given the Cougars an advantage since returning because of the extended layoff that the team was on.

On top of that, about 35 percent of the team was not on the roster for those workouts according to Holgorsen, which leaves the Cougars with the challenge of working on strength and conditioning at the same time as focusing on the X’s and O’s of football.

“You usually get eight to nine weeks of strength and conditioning in the summer, but nobody got that,” Holgorsen said. “It’s a constant everyday battle.”

A huge part of the challenge since returning has been that everyone is on a different level in regards to their conditioning, Holgorsen said, which is why the coach is glad he still has over three weeks to prepare for the Tigers.

“We’re not in shape to play football right now,” he said. “We haven’t had the physical nature of practice that we need prior to be ready for the first game.

“There’s still guys, five weeks later, that we have in strength and conditioning only, and we won’t let them put a helmet on, and we won’t let them put pads on because they’re not conditioned to the point (needed).”

Despite all the obstacles the Cougars have to hurdle over to get to Sept. 19 when they are scheduled to face Memphis, the 49-yearold head coach is aiming to get in at least 25 total practices to get the players to the level needed to start a season, and he continues to push a resilient attitude.

“I’ve stressed, roll with the punches, things are going to change,” Holgorsen said. “When we have opportunities, whoever’s here, let’s make the most of it. That’s our attitude right now.”

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SWIMMING AND DIVING

Peyton Kondis looking ahead at new chapter in her life

ANDY YANEZ

SPORTS EDITOR @AYANEZ_5

As the University enters a new semester that will include an attempt to have competitions in the fall, UH swimming and diving alumna Peyton Kondis begins a new chapter in her own life away from Houston as well.

After her senior season was abruptly cut short due to COVID-19, Kondis never got the opportunity to compete in the NCAA championships that were going to be held in Athens, Georgia.

But, after being several months removed from the season’s end, the Pittsburgh native has learned to accept how things turned out.

“The way everything happened was really fast,” Kondis said in a phone interview with The Cougar on Thursday. “I think that originally, it was hard to accept that it was ending the way I never really imagined it would. (But) I think that just knowing that I was able to accomplish what I wanted to … knowing that those accomplishments couldn’t be taken away even though the physical opportunities were, I think that helped me come to terms with the way everything ended.”

Kondis is no stranger when it comes to accolades. She garnered over 20 awards in her time with the Cougars and was on the team for the four straight seasons that Houston won the American Athletic Conference championships.

With Kondis now attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall for graduate school, she can now reflect on her time in Houston.

“I look back at it very fondly,” Kondis said. “I think that I can very confidently say that if I had to decide to do it all over again, to swim in college, that I would 100 percent go to Houston no matter what every time.”

One thing that stood out to Kondis was the camaraderie she was able to build with her teammates, and while she has slowly removed herself from

UH swimming and diving alumna Peyton Kondis during a competition in 2017. She was named the 2019-20 American Athletic Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year in her senior season with Houston. | Courtesy of UH athletics

official team meetings, she is still in contact with some of them and is excited to see where they take the program in the future.

“They have a really good foundation there, and (the team) has a lot of good leadership in all of the upperclassmen,” Kondis said. “I think that if they get to perform this year, they’re going to have a breakout year. Maybe even more so than we’ve had in the past.

“I have a lot of faith in the girls left behind.”

While the AAC has given football, soccer and volleyball the

JAMES MUELER

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @ JDM2186

All volleyball and women’s soccer competition and conference championships have been postponed until next spring, the American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday.

“This is a difficult day for our student-athletes who represent us in soccer and volleyball,” said athletic director Chris Pezman after the AAC’s decision. “With the NCAA’s decision to move Fall Championships to the spring, this is a logical decision to mirror this effort. Our affected student-athletes have worked green light to prep for a fall season, a lot still remains uncertain with the swimming and diving team. Kondis’ biggest advice to them as they navigate the unknown is simple.

“Lean on each other and stay in contact,” she said.

When it comes to Kondis herself, her journey at Pitt is to study clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling with the goal to one day become a counselor or therapist and potentially even work with student athletes in the future.

When it comes to swimming diligently to prepare for this upcoming season and have remained vigilant fighting against this pandemic.

“We remain committed to the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes and look forward to our programs competing this spring.”

The main reasoning behind the AAC’s decision to postpone all competition is so the conference’s volleyball and soccer schedules can align with the NCAA championship season, which has been moved to the spring.

“We were prepared to conduct competition in the fall in

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competitions, Kondis is prepared to leave that chapter behind in Houston as well.

“I think I’m ready to move on,” she said.

“I’ve gotten (in) the pool once or twice since March just to see if I really miss it, and I think I miss the atmosphere of swimming, competing in swimming and being on a team. But I am ready to say goodbye to the sport itself and just move on to the next phase in my life.”

CORONAVIRUS

AAC postpones volleyball, soccer seasons to Spring 2021

sports@thedailycougar.com men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, but moving to the spring was in the best interest of our student-athletes as it will align our schedules to allow our teams to compete for national championships,” said Commissioner Mike Aresco in a statement released by the conference.

The AAC also plans to make a decision regarding whether or not cross country competition will still take place as schedules in the fall as soon as they receive further clarification from the NCAA.

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TRACK AND FIELD Houston’s track and field team adds 26 signees for the 2020-21 season

The programis looking to get back to competitions after having the NCAA Indoor Championships canceled due to COVID-19. In February, both the men’s and women’s teams won the American Athletic Conference Indoor championships. | Courtesy of UH athletics

JAMES MUELLER

ASSISTANT EDITOR @JDM2186

The UH track and field team, which has dominated the American Athletic Conference the past two seasons, just got even better as the team announced the addition of 26 new student athletes, 14 men and 12 women, for the 2020-21 season.

The Cougars have consistently been able to recruit some of the best athletes in Texas and this signing class is no different as 13 of the new signees hail from the Lone Star State. But this year, Houston was also able to sign 13 more athletes that come from all over the world, including six different U.S. states and three different countries.

Head coach Leroy Burrell attributes the large number of signings from outside of Texas in this year’s class due to the track and field program’s recent success.

“The success that we have had has allowed us to expand our recruiting footprint to the point where we can attract the athletes from all over the world,” Burrell said.

As the track and field team heads into the upcoming season looking to sweep the American Indoor Track and Field titles for the third consecutive year, here is a look at some of the new signees for both the men and women’s teams that can make an immediate impact for the program:

Men’s squad

Here are a few of the new signees for the men’s squad:

Mustafa William Fall

The Suva, Fiji, native comes to Houston after spending time at Coffeyville Community College where he racked up a plethora of awards.

In 2020, Fall was the NJCAA National Champion and the NJCAA Region VI Indoor Champion in shot put. Fall was also named an NJCCA Indoor All-American.

Phatutshedzo Shaun Maswanganyi

Maswanganyi joins the Cougars as a sprinter all the way from South Africa.

Maswanganyi currently holds the South African junior record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.06 seconds.

Caleb Malbrough

Malbrough comes from Manvel High School where he was the 2019 UIL Class 5A State Champion in the triple jump. Malbrough also holds the Manvel all-time program record in the triple jump at 48 feet, 1.5 inches.

Women’s squad

Here are a few of the new signees for the women’s squad:

Sarah Belle

Belle, a sprinter and hurdler, hails from Barbados and has experience competing on the international stage. Belle earned a silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2019 CARTIFA Games.

Nu’uausala Tuilefano

Like some of the other signees, Tuilefano joins the Cougars from Coffeyville Community College as a thrower.

Tuilefano is a two-time NJCAA All-American, being the 2019 NCJAA Region VI Outdoor and 2020 NJCAA Region VI Indoor bronze medalist in shot put. Tuilefano also won a silver medal at the XVI Pacific Games.

Zarie Dumas

Dumas joins Houston from Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, South Carolina, as one of the top sprinter.

Dumas racked up numerous awards and honors during her high school career including being a South Carolina State Champion, being named a New Balance Outdoor All-American and being selected as the most valuable track athlete in all of Greenville County.

Burrell is happy with the new signees and believes they can make an impact this season and set up the program to be successful in the years to come.

“I am really pleased with how the coaching staff did an excellent job of addressing the future needs of the program in assembling this group of outstanding young women and men from all over the world under some very challenging conditions,” Burrell said.

“Quiet as it is kept, this is one of the best group of athletes we have assembled in my time here and I really feel we are set up for continued success at the conference and national levels,” he added.

EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITOR IN CHIEF Jhair Romero

MANAGING EDITOR

Jiselle Santos

WEB EDITOR

Mason Vasquez

NEWS EDITORS Donna Keeya Sydney Rose

SPORTS EDITOR Andy Yanez

OPINION EDITOR Gina Medina

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Juana Garcia

PHOTO EDITOR Christopher Charleston

COPY CHIEF Zai Davis

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The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

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