The year in sports

THE YEAR IN SPORTS: A 2020-2021 sports recap

By Andy Yanez

What a year it was for the University as it navigated through the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic and pushed through it, and the same was the case for Houston athletics.

A student-led demonstration from every sports program at UH on racial injustices, police brutality and systemic issues in September was followed by the football season that took weeks to get started and eventually basketball and the other sports followed.

It was an eventful year for UH athletics amid the unique environment. Here is a look back at the 2020-21 season:

Men’s basketball

The UH men’s basketball team had its best season since 1984, but it wasn’t without turbulence as just weeks into starting the program went on a 15-day pause with COVID-19 issues that saw various players contract the virus.

Head coach Kelvin Sampson later revealed that each one of his players and most of the team’s coaches had tested positive at some point from the summer to December.

In early January, UH saw one of its standout guards, Caleb Mills, step away from the program and later announce he was transferring to Florida State.

After the February freeze threw another wrinkle in the Cougars’ season, UH managed to find its rhythm and embark on a marvelous journey.

A near half-court buzzer-beater from freshman guard Tramon Mark in the final game of the regular season set the tone.

The run included winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament, making an epic comeback against Rutgers, and beating

Syracuse and Oregon State to get to the Final Four. While the team ultimately lost to Baylor, who went on to win the national championship, the Cougars’ season culminated with a celebration at Fertitta Center where Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed April, “University of Houston basketball month.”

Football

The UH football team struggled to just get on the field in 2020. The campaign started with five different games getting canceled or postponed throughout

September, which made the Cougars have to wait until October to start. After strong wins against Tulane and Navy, and a hard-fought loss to AP-ranked BYU in the first three weeks, the Cougars ran into a house of horrors against UCF on Halloween, and then got pummeled by No. 6 Cincinnati on ABC.

A dominant win against USF led to almost a month-long pause for the team, which defined the challenge it was to play in a COVID-19 world.

A heartbreaking loss to Memphis and a lackluster performance against Hawaii in the New Mexico Bowl wrapped up the difficult season.

Women’s basketball

Similar to the men’s team, the UH women’s basketball team had one of its best seasons in years. A strong win against Oklahoma on the road set the tone for the year.

The team dealt with coronavirus issues of its own before playing against other AAC teams. After a mid-season slump, UH was able to recover and went undefeated during

Junior guard Quentin Grimes | Photo by Andy Yanez/The Cougar UH quarterback Clayton Tune | Photo by Trevor Nolley/The Cougar

February, which included a dominant win at home against No. 13 USF.

A win against ECU in the AAC Tournament before falling to UCF in the semifinals was not enough, however, to overcome a tough loss to Cincinnati in the regular-season finale, which caused the team to just miss out on the NCAA Tournament.

In the WNIT, the Cougars lost their first game but bounced back with a win against Arizona State to end their 2020-21 season with a win.

Swimming and diving

For the fifth straight year, the UH swimming and diving program won the AAC Championship to continue its dominance in the conference.

On the season, the program won five out of its six meets during the season, and it even sent three athletes to the NCAA

Championships Mykenzie Leehy, Ioanna Sacha and Chase Farris, who led UH to a 30th place finish, which was the highest among non-major conference programs.

UH tennis senior Phonexay Chitdara | Courtesy of UH Athletics

Track and field

The UH track and field team finds itself in the middle of its season, which will extend well into May for the AAC Championships.

Multiple eye-popping records have been set by the program’s athletes during multiple H-Town Speed City events.

Freshman Phatutshedzo “Shaun” Maswanganyi left his mark in the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships finishing 11th in the competition.

Golf

The UH men’s golf team saw its season start in February and go through several invitationals as it nears the AAC Championships towards the end of April. A third-place finish in the Border Olympics against various Texas schools, including No. 13 Baylor are among the highlights of the program’s year.

The UH women’s golf team has put together a strong year as it nears its own AAC Championship. A second-place finish in the MountainView Collegiate back in March against various ranked schools ranks among the top of the program’s impressive season.

Soccer

The UH soccer program had its first winning season in 11 years after it defeated UCF on April 11 in its regular-season finale. That victory was also the first over UCF in UH’s history.

The Cougars finished the season with a plus-16 goal differential and on defense, they only allowed eight goals and held teams to one or fewer goals in all but one game this season.

Tennis

The UH tennis team has put together an impressive year, which has included outstanding seasons from sophomore Azul Pedemonti, freshman Blanca Cortijo Parreno, who both went over two months without losing a match, and seniors Phonexay Chitdara and Mimi Kendall-Wosely. With only two meetings left on the schedule before the AAC Championships, the Cougars will look to carry the momentum from the season.

Volleyball

The UH volleyball team had a dazzling start of a season, finishing with a rough streak of losses. After falling in its first game of the year, the Cougars, who had to play this season in the spring due to COVID-19, went on an eight-game winning streak, at one point winning 12 of 13 games until falling to No. 6 Baylor in a hard-fought, five-set match.

UH lost four of five contests to end the 2021 season, including Temple in the AAC Tournament.

Softball

The UH softball team is in the midst of a difficult season. Multiple losing streaks, including separate seven and eight-game losing skids have seen the Cougars’ campaign fall behind in a hurry. With a month left in the team’s calendar, it will look to change its fortunes.

Baseball

The UH baseball team showed promise in its first few games but quickly saw momentum take a swing for the worst. A 6-1 start quickly turned into a 7-17 funk, which includes a seven-game losing streak. In a series at Wichita State, UH was outscored 40-6 as it suffered a four-game sweep.

SPORTS

UH soccer redshirt junior forward Zionah Browne | Courtesy of UH Athletics Sophomore infielder Brad Burckel | Photo by Andy Yanez/The Cougar