ATHLETICS

Champions!

Football, basketball, cross-country, volleyball, golf bring home ASC title wins

Pictured from top, American Southwest Conference championship winners for football, women's basketall, women's cross country, (not pictured, men's golf and volleyball) and individual golf winners, Ari Saldana and Sydney McConnell.

This spring, UMHB athletes brought home American Southwest Conference championship team titles in football, women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s cross country, and men’s golf, plus three individual wins in men’s golf, women’s golf, and cross country.

In March, UMHB football finished the spring season (which was postponed from fall due to COVID-19) 5-0 overall to win the 16th conference championship in program history. It was the first time in league history that the ASC moved to divisional play in football for the spring season.

The UMHB women’s basketball team stunned the No. 2 team in the country, East Texas Baptist University, to win its second consecutive ASC championship.

The women’s cross country team made history by claiming the program's first ASC championship this spring. The Cru women edged out UT Dallas to win their first conference title in the 6K event, with UMHB sophomore Holly Dasher of Katy winning the individual championship at the meet. Dasher became the first UMHB runner to win an individual conference championship after running a career-best 23:34.8 and beating the second-place runner by nearly 23 seconds. The Cru program was restarted three years ago after a 17-year absence.

In April, the women’s volleyball team swept an undefeated UT Dallas squad to win the ASC Volleyball Championship. They also finished fourth in the country in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll for the highest final national ranking in the Division III era of program history.

The UMHB men’s golf team captured the program’s eighth conference title and freshman Ari Saldana of Edo, Mexico, won the individual title with a final round of 70, edging out UT Dallas by one stroke to win the sixth ASC individual title in Cru men's golf history.

In women’s golf, freshman Sydney McConnell of Tyler won the individual championship at the ASC Championship Tournament, with a final round of 74, edging out UT Dallas by one stroke. The team took second place at the tournament.