New mask guidelines

with which they played as a team.

“This team was very well-rounded: they could hit a little bit, they could pitch a little bit … and on-paper, we’ve had teams that were as good or better as this team, but they just gelled real well,” Shewmake said. “They liked each other, they pulled for each other, and it shows: that’s really what separates them.”

Finance graduate Ramon Garza echoed Shewmake’s sentiment, pointing to the “selfless” fashion in which they played the game.

“One of the things this team had was great team chemistry; we were just a group of guys who enjoyed being around each other,” Garza said. “The guys didn’t care whose name was up there, or who got credit for what. It was about winning as a team and making sure UT Dallas is rep- resented in the best way possible, both on and off the field.”

Garza also attributed a large portion of their success directly back to the coaching staff.

“I would argue that we have the best coaching staff in the ASC,” Garza said. “Our coaching staff is phenomenal. They set a standard for us since the beginning of the year: our goal was to go out and win a Conference Championship, that’s the standard that was set, the standard we tried to practice and play to, and that’s the position they ultimately brought us to.”

Business administration senior Carter Cochrane said the team’s success is all the more impressive because it came amidst one of the craziest sports seasons in Comet

Following Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-36, UTD and all other schools in the UT system will no longer require individuals on campus to wear face masks.

Mask-wearing is now voluntary everywhere on campus except for the Davidson Gundy Alumni Center, which is still running a COVID-19 vaccine clinic. However, Vice Presi - dent and Chief of Staff Rafael Martín said after the clinic closes on July 6, the Alumni Center will join the rest of campus in not requiring masks. While face coverings are no longer mandatory, Martín said that completing the Daily Health Check still is for unvaccinated Comets coming to campus. The procedures for the Daily Health Check remain the same as the previous two semesters – that is, individuals must specify whether they are visiting campus that day and if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms via a secure text or email link. Fully vaccinated Comets can opt out of the Check two weeks after reporting their status on the Voluntary Vaccine Reporting Form.

“We [are] assessing right now kind of how we will try to implement that in the fall when obviously we'll have many, many more students who will be coming to campus,” Martín said. “As it stands right now, for those students that do not self-report their vaccination status, we will require them to complete the Daily Health Check in the fall semester.”

Martín said he encourages all Comets to follow CDC guidelines, which say unvaccinated individuals should wear masks when near others, and vaccinated individuals do not necessarily

Women's doubles tennis team makes historic run

Samantha Wong and Kathy Joseph make UTD's deepest run into the NCAA DIII playoffs in any sport

LAUREN DOUGHERTY Life & Arts Editor

Women’s tennis players Samantha Wong and Kathy Joseph made UTD sports history by ending their 2021 season with a semifinals finish at the NCAA doubles championship.

The pair was one of just 16 chosen to play in the national competition and the second duo ever sent by UTD.

According to a UTD sports article, Joseph and former teammate Sindhu Ravula made the 2019 doubles tournament, losing in the first round.

Wong said that the pair likely would not have qualified without key wins in a few regular-season matches that allowed them to keep their ranking.

Normally, the top four doubles pairs in each region qualify for the tourna - ment, but because of COVID, only the top two were selected this year.

“We were both fortunate enough to be playing really well, and we were such great doubles partners,” Wong said.

After a tough first match that was interrupted and forced onto an indoor court by rain, the duo hit their stride with the second match, Wong said. She was nervous for the semifinal match against a pair from Emory –the school that had just won the team championship.

“I just had the mindset to play my game and just do our best, and it’s a little frustrating honestly that we didn’t pull through, because. . .I felt like [we] had our chances,” Wong said.

Head coach Bryan Whitt said that he didn’t know until fairly late in the season that Wong and Joseph had a chance to make the tournament. With limited match opportunities due to COVID, the regional rankings were hard to predict. However, from a skill level standpoint, the pair’s ability to make the tournament was no surprise.

“You could be a very good singles player, and it may not necessarily translate directly to the doubles game because there’s different skills needed. But fortunately, both Kathy and Samantha are very comfortable in that,” Whitt said. Joseph and Wong’s run was the furthest ever by a UTD student-athlete in any NCAA sport, Whitt said. While it’s difficult to compare the results of an individual tournament to that of a team sport like soccer or basketball, their success increases the appeal of the tennis program.

“That kind of puts in context how well they did do,” Whitt said. “If a high school student thinks they want to go to a Division III school, and then they see that we’re competing at that level, that certainly adds to the marketability.” Joseph was also selected to compete in the singles tournament, in which she advanced to the semifinals. She could not be reached for comment.

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