Cameryn Maddox, Houston’s leading scorer in 2023 hopes to propel the Cougars to the 2024 conference tournament. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar.

Houston Soccer is looking forward to a big 2024 season. With a squad of young and experienced talents, the Cougars are ready to show they are worthy of playing in the Big 12.

“We’re more prepared and have high expectations,” junior forward Cameryn Maddox said. “We expect to attend the tournament.”

Last season, the Cougars failed to qualify for the conference tournament after landing in 12th place in the conference standings with an 8-8-2 overall record.

Houston is ready to turn the page and their determination to make noise in the Big 12 has shaped the team’s preparations and culture.
Over the spring, the team had a lot of growth in tactical work. The team competed with high-quality SEC teams such as Texas A&M, Texas and LSU. The team was battle-tested early and is ready to build connections that carry through the season.

“One thing we can do better is learning how to work with each other and adapting to each other’s individuality because we have some serious talent,” junior goalkeeper Olivia Dietrich said. “I expect our upcoming team to get us to the tournament and show what UH is about.”

Dietrich finished her first season with the third most saves in the Big 12 and is ready to make a mark during Houston’s second year in the conference. With many young players getting playing time last season, many Cougars know what it takes to play collegiate soccer in Houston.

“I’m most excited about the experiences learned from last year’s young players that can translate to this year’s results,” soccer head coach Jaime Frias said.

The Cougars had an excellent performance in the non-conference schedule last season with a 6-1-1 record. Houston got off to a 6-0-1 start to the season which was the best start in program history. Once Houston got to Big 12 competition, the team struggled finishing with a 2-7-1 conference record. Frias stresses the importance of playing with strength for 90 minutes to close out games and sustain leads.

“We have more of a veteran group, so a lot more experience than we did our first year in the Big 12,” Frias said. “Most players didn’t know the competition or style of each team. We are seasoned in that way.”

The Cougars welcome back Cameryn Maddox, who scored seven goals, the most for the Cougars in 2023. The Georgia native will have the unique opportunity to play with her younger sister, freshman midfielder Casey Maddox, who arrived at UH early in the spring season.

“I’m glad she’s here with me, and we can play together,” Cameryn Maddox said. “We can make things happen.”

Now, in their second year in the conference, Houston is preparing to take on new opponents. The team will take an October road trip to take on Utah and BYU to face both squads for the first time as conference foes.  UH will kick off conference play against UCF on Sept. 12  before returning home to face Arizona State for the first time since 2012 in their first Big 12 home game.

The Cougars kick off non-conference play on Aug. 7 when they take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The team plans to use the early non-conference match to determine what players are best built for the pitch before heading into conference play.

The stakes are high, but the Cougar’s drive to not back down is stronger.

“This group is hungry to prove themselves, and I don’t think they want to settle for being in the middle or lower end of the pack,” Frias said. This team wants to ensure that Houston is one of the top soccer teams in the conference.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston soccer longing for a breakthrough ahead of 2024 season” was originally posted on The Cougar

Cougars hold a 4-14 road record following final road series. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Houston baseball lost their final road series of the year to Kansas this past weekend 1-2. 

Game One

UH dominated the first game of the series on Friday and won 13-5. Senior utilityman Justin Murray started the offensive barrage with a solo homer in the third. It was followed up by a five-run fourth inning where Murray hit his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to right center. 

Senior second baseman Harold Coll also hit a two-run blast that made the score 6-0. A bases-loaded walk, hit by pitch and fielder’s choice added three more runs to the tally in the fifth inning. Redshirt senior catcher Jonathan French had an RBI double in the next inning as well as junior designated hitter Kenneth Jimenez with an RBI single. 

Murray continued bringing the heat, hitting an RBI single to make it 12-0, and brought his RBIs total to four on the night. Kansas scored five runs in the sixth and seventh innings combined, but it was too late. The 13 runs scored by Houston were the most in a conference game this season. 

Cougars junior starter Cade Citelli obtained his fourth win of the season with six innings of three-run baseball with seven strikeouts. 

Game Two

Houston started quickly but ultimately lost 11-9. Cougars senior outfielder Cary Arbolida continued his incredible year with a three-run bomb in the first inning. Arbolida hit another home run, this time a solo shot in the third inning. French added an RBI single followed by a sacrifice fly and RBI single from Murray that made the lead 8-1. 

The Cougars blew the lead in the next two innings, as the Jayhawks scored four runs in the third inning and five runs in the fourth inning, which included three home runs, to take a 10-8 advantage. 

The only run UH would manage after that was a solo blast from Jimenez in the fifth inning. 

Houston senior pitcher Antoine Jean gave up eight earned runs in 3.1 innings. 

Game Three

Houston lost the final game of the series on Sunday, 9-6. Kansas took the early 3-1 lead through three innings.

Freshman shortstop Anthony Avalos tied the game with a two-RBI double followed by a go-ahead RBI single from Jimenez in the fourth.

The Jayhawks answered right back with a five-run fourth inning to take the 8-4 lead then added on another homer in the next inning.

The Cougars added one run in the eighth with Arbolida’s team-leading 16th home run of the year and another run in the ninth inning, but it was too late. 

Houston dropped to under .500 on the season overall with a 25-26 record and a 7-19 Big 12 conference record. The Coogs are now in the midst of their last week of the 2024 season. 

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH baseball wraps up final road series of the season” was originally posted on The Cougar

Houston softball swept in final regular season game. | Oscar Herrera/ The Cougar

Houston softball ended their first regular season in the Big 12, with a series-losing sweep against Baylor. 

Game 1

UH lost the first game on Friday 6-0. 

The Bears got off to a quick start and scored three runs in the first inning. They added a home run in the third and two more runs in the sixth.

Houston offense only hit once and had two walks the entire game. Graduate starter Shelby Smith managed 0.2 innings pitched with two earned runs given up. 

Aliyah Binford for Baylor threw a complete game shutout.

Game 2

Houston lost the series Friday night in the second game, 7-1.  

Baylor put up seven runs by the third inning.

The Cougars scored their only run of the series in the fourth inning with a home run to left center from graduate third baseman Jazmyn Rollins.

The Bears answered right back with a run in the fourth and sixth. Baylor once again had their starter pitch a complete game. 

Freshman pitcher Gigi Solis gave up five earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched for UH. 

Game 3

Houston lost the final game 6-0 again.

The Bears got on the board in the third with a three-double and added another run in the fifth.

The Cougars put up two more runs in the sixth, including one on a wild pitch. The Cougars had five hits but earned their second zero-run game for the second time in three games.

Smith was the starter again and went four innings pitched, with three earned runs. Smith dropped to 10-14 this season. 

UH softball ends the regular season with a mark of 25-29 and a poor 4-23 record in Big 12 conference play. Houston will look to make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament this week starting on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston scores a lone run in three game series against Baylor” was originally posted on The Cougar

Junior pitcher Cade Citelli pitched five innings in the Cougars 17-7 win. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

UH baseball took two out of three against the UT Arlington Mavericks this past weekend at Schroeder Park. 

Game 1

The Cougars got the scoring started early with four runs in the first inning. Senior outfielder Cary Arbolida hit a two-run shot down the left-field line. Houston continued to add more runs in the second inning as senior utility man Justin Murray had a two run RBI single followed by senior third baseman Anthony Tulimero with an RBI that made the lead grow to 8-1.

UH reached double digits with a home run from senior second baseman Harold Coll. The Cougars added two more solo dingers in the fifth inning from senior outfielder Tre Jones and junior catcher Kenneth Jimenez. Arbolida then hit his second home run of the day making it 13-2 after six innings.

Houston added four more runs to the total in the eighth inning with an RBI double from Coll and freshman left fielder Ace Reese. Jimenez followed up with an RBI single and Arbolida passed home again, this time on a fielder’s choice. Junior pitcher Cade Citelli went five innings and gave up two earned runs in the Coogs 17-7 win. 

Game 2

UH lost the second game 7-3.

Houston started quick, with an RBI double from Jones. Coll’s RBI single drove in two giving the Cougars the lead 3-2. 

Houston would not score for the rest of the game. The Mavericks would end up pulling five runs in the seventh inning to seal the win. 

Game 3

Houston won the final game of the series 10-4.

UH scored two early runs in the first inning thanks to an RBI single by Reese and Arbolida. UTA answered right back with a balk in the second inning and inside the park homer in the third. The Cougars added four runs in the third inning as Arbolida continued his torrid pace with a 3 RBI single followed by a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, Arbolida went deep for a solo shot that made it 7-2. An RBI double by Coll in the sixth and Tulimero in the eighth put the game away. Senior pitcher Antoine Jean once again had a great outing and got his third win of the season, going 5.1 innings pitched with four earned runs given up and six strikeouts. 

Houston overall improved to .500 on the season with a 22-22 record. 

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston improves to .500 on the season after 2-1 series with UT Arlington” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH dropped its 10th straight Big 12 game after getting swept by Oklahoma. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

UH softball struggled over the weekend against No. 2 OU and lost all three games to fall to 23-23 overall and 3-18 in Big 12 play.

Game 1

Houston lost the first game of the series on Friday 8-0 that was ended via the run rule.

The Sooners had a great start in the first inning, with a three-run homer to left field.

Oklahoma had an RBI groundout, fielder’s choice,and a steal of home that scored three more runs in the third and fourth combined, which extended the lead to 6-0.  In the sixth inning, OU added two more runs on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single. 

Graduate Taylor Edwards took the loss with three earned runs given up in two innings. 

Game 2

Houston lost on Saturday as well, this time in five innings, 10-2.

The Sooners had another hot start with four runs put up in the first. It was then followed up by a six-run third inning, which included multiple RBIs, but no home runs to show for the 10 runs put up.

The Cougars finally responded with their first runs of the game, a two-run homer from third baseman Jasmyn Rollin. Graduate righty Shelby Smith gave up six earned runs in two innings and took the loss.

Game 3

UH lost the final game of the series 5-0 on Sunday. In a lower-scoring affair, the Sooners put up two runs each in the first and second innings. 

It was first an RBI triple to start it off then a fielding error by the Cougars scored two more runs in the second. There was no scoring until the fifth when OU had an RBI double. 

Sophomore righty Tamya Walters gave up two earned runs in 0.1 innings and took the loss.

Smith then came in for consecutive days and pitched 5.2 innings of just one run ball. 

Houston could only manage two runs of total offense through the three-game series vs No. 2 Oklahoma. The Cougars will look to bounce back vs Texas A&M on Tuesday at College Station. 

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH softball shutout twice in series vs. No. 2 Oklahoma” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH knocked off Texas in the series opener, but fell apart in the ninth of the finale to ultimately lose the series. | Anh Le/The Cougar

Houston baseball took on Texas in a three-game series this weekend and lost two out of three. The Cougars were close to potentially winning the series as they let an 8-5 lead slip away in the ninth inning. 

Game 1

UH dominated the first game over Texas in a 9-1 win. The Cougars struck out 16 Longhorns and hit four home runs on the day, two by senior right fielder Cary Arbolida. 

It was an excellent pitching night for Houston as freshman righty Owen Woodward went 4.2 innings pitched and only gave up one hit and one earned run. Junior righty Cade Citelli closed out the game with a 4.1 innings pitched-one hitter. 

Arbolida’s first homer came in the fourth inning that extended UH’s lead to 3-0. It was a two-run shot to center field. It was followed up by a home run in the fifth inning from senior catcher Jonathan French. Senior third baseman Anthony Tulimero had an RBI single in the inning that made the lead 5-1. 

Arbolida continued his monster day with another two-run jack in the sixth inning. Tulimero followed up with his own two-run homer in the eighth that made it 9-1. 

Game 2

Houston lost a close game on Saturday 6-5. Texas jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Cougars responded with a three-run third inning to tie thanks to Tulimero’s RBI single and freshman left fielder Ace Reese’s two-RBI single. 

Both teams exchanged homers as UT hit two solo blasts to left in the fifth inning. UH hit two homers of their own to left from sophomore shortstop Coby DeJesus and Tulimero. 

Freshman second baseman Dee Kennedy hit what was the go-ahead home run for Texas. Cougars starter Howard Duncan went four innings pitched and gave up four earned runs. 

Game 3

The Cougars put some traffic on the bases in the second inning with a walk from Reese and a single from Arbolida but were unable to take advantage. 

Sophomore catcher Rylan Galvin went deep for Texas with a two-run homer to start the second inning. 

Houston answered right back and took the lead in the bottom half of the inning 3-2 with a moonshot three-run home run from Coll. It all started with a single to right by Murray with two outs, who then advanced to second base on a wild pitch and third base on an error by the catcher. Tulimero walked, and then Coll was able to hit a huge go-ahead shot. 

UH was able to load the bases, but senior designated hitter Alex Lopez grounded out to end the inning. 

The Cougars were able to once again load the bases in the fourth inning. Cameron Nickens was hit by a pitch, followed by a single from DeJesus and Murray. Tulimero was able to bring a run home on a sacrifice fly. Coll delivered again with an RBI single that extended the lead to 5-2.  

Antoine Jean, who was announced as the late starter, had a strong performance of 4.2 innings pitched, with two earned runs given up and six strikeouts. 

UH continued to score runs as French walked, and Nickens hit a two-run blast to left center in the fifth which further extended the lead to 7-2. 

The Longhorns answered with a run in the seventh and two runs in the eighth from a couple of RBI doubles which closed the gap to 7-5. Houston responded in the eighth as Reese smoked a solo homer down the right-field line which made it 8-5. 

Texas took the lead in the ninth inning from back-to-back homers from Powell and Flores. The inning continued as Houston’s pitching collapsed. The Longhorns ended up scoring 8 runs in the inning and taking a 13-8 lead. 

The Cougars had to go through four different pitchers. Citelli gave up four earned runs on four hits with only one out recorded. Senior lefty Kyle LaCalamento gave up four more runs without recording an out. 

UH lost 13-8 after what was a great opportunity to win the series. 

Houston drops to 17-18 on the season and a 5-13 Big 12 record, which is the worst in the conference. UH will look to bounce back on Tuesday vs HCU at home. 

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH baseball takes one of three in series vs. Texas, collapses in decisive third game” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH pitcher Dan Wright delivers to a UTSA player in February. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

Houston baseball got swept over the weekend by Texas Tech at Lubbock, falling to 16-15 on the year, having lost its last 11 conference games.

Game 1

In game one, UH lost in a high-scoring affair 12-9.

The Cougars tied the game at three in the second inning thanks to an RBI double from senior designated hitter Cary Arbolida, who scored catcher Jonathan French. Sophomore centerfielder Cameron Nickens later had an RBI triple that scored Arbolida. Nickens then scored on an error. 

In the fourth inning, senior second baseman Harold Coll launched a three-run homer to give Houston a 7-3 lead. 

Arbolida added on to his productive day with a home run in the fifth inning. Texas Tech responded with an offensive outburst to take a 9-8 lead. 

Coll hit his second homer of the day in the sixth inning to tie it, but the Red Raiders scored the rest of the runs with three in the seventh inning to eventually win. 

Game 2

Houston once again put up big numbers on offense in game two but came up on the losing end 15-12. 

UH took the early 2-0 lead, but Texas Tech responded with 12 straight runs for a huge 12-2 lead through four innings. The Cougars responded with a four-run fifth inning which included a two-run shot by Arbolida and a solo homer from senior right fielder Jonathan French that made it 12-6. 

Houston once again added four more runs in the next inning, which included an RBI single by senior catcher Anthony Tulimero, a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. 

The game was now close at 12-10. However, the Red Raiders offense woke up on a two RBI double by Bravo who also eventually scored on a wild pitch. 

Game 3

In the series finale, pitching continued to be an issue as Houston lost 12-8. 

The Cougars took the early 3-1 lead from homers via a two-run home run from Coll who continued his big series and a solo shot from senior center fielder Jacob Schoenvogel. The Texas Tech offense exploded with 11 unanswered runs through innings three and four to control the game. 

Freshman left fielder Ace Reese went deep with a two-run home run in the fifth and French followed up with a two-run homer of his own, but it was too late. 

Houston’s starting pitching did not go far at all in each of the three games, only going a couple of innings. Righty junior Cade Citelli was the only bright spot with 3.1 scoreless innings and six strikeouts. 

UH drops to 16-15 overall and a 4-11 Big 12 record. Houston will look to bounce back on Tuesday in the Don Sanders Cup against Sam Houston.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston’s Big 12 losing streak reaches 11 in sweep at Texas Tech” was originally posted on The Cougar

A UH diver performs at the team’s final home meet of the season in February. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

The Houston Swim and Dive program concluded its events at the NCAA Championships this weekend at the University of Georgia.

UH was represented by three athletes: junior Henrietta Fangli, freshman Michelle McLeod and fifth-year senior Chase Farris. Fangli, who received her first All-American selection with an honorable mention in the 100-yard breaststroke, swam a 58.98 in the consultation finals to finish in 14th place. This broke a previous program record set by Peyton Kondis in 2019. 

Farris earned 48th place in the three-meter dive with a score of 219. 

McLeod made her first NCAA championship appearance in platform diving and scored 236 for 25th place. Farris got 34th place in the same event and scored 220.4. 

Fangli competed the next day in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:12.09 for 50th place. 

The events concluded UH’s 2023-24 swimming and diving season, the first in the program’s history as Big 12 members.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Cougar earns All-American honorable mention at NCAA Swim & Dive Championships” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH alumnus Jim Nantz called his last Final Four last season in Houston. | James Mueller/The Cougar

Legendary sports broadcaster Jim Nantz drives by T-Mobile Center in Kansas City as he is about to call a Kansas City Chiefs game for the second time in three weeks. It was the site where the 2022-23 Houston Cougars’ season ended in the Sweet 16 to the Miami Hurricanes. 

“Our hotel is very close to the arena where that took place and I see it when we drive to the Chiefs practice facility, when we go out to dinner. Every time I look at the outside of that arena, I think about that’s where the cougar dream of 22 came to an end but I was proud of that team,” Nantz said. “I loved that team and I love this team too, but that was an exciting time for us holding the number one ranking for seven weeks.”

Nantz is a University of Houston alum who was the PA announcer for UH basketball during the Phi Slama Jama era. That got him into the business. Nantz then joined CBS Sports in 1985, and the rest is history. The legendary play-by-play announcer called his seventh Super Bowl this February. 

“My heart still aches a little bit that team in my last season of calling college basketball didn’t make it to Houston, I just thought the stars were aligned and I was drinking my own juice there,” Nantz said. “I really began to believe it and we ran into a Miami team, and I had to call it right there in Kansas City as neutral as any play-by-play voice could ever be.”

A year later, Houston is currently No. 2 in the nation with the No. 1 seed in the South region of the NCAA tournament after winning the Big 12 regular season title in its first year in the league — a thought that was almost inconceivable before the season.

But back in January, Nantz — who called his last Final Four last year in Houston — predicted this otherwise unforeseen outcome.

“I think this team has a chance to be the best there is in that conference,” Nantz said. “And we’ll find ourselves back with the No. 1 seed again this year and I think we’re capable of winning a national championship.” 

Over the years, Nantz has formed a strong connection with head coach Kelvin Sampson as the two text regularly. Nantz had even watched UH’s first Big 12 win against West Virginia in its entirety at Green Bay before calling a Packers game.

“The first time I met Jim was for breakfast the year I took Oklahoma to the final four. He and Billy Packer came to my hotel we met for breakfast but the thing that jumped out to me was what a nice man, a good guy he is,” Sampson said. “Sometimes we tend to over-sensationalize somebody because of their job, we’re all just regular people and that’s the thing I loved about Jim. He was a regular person.”

Nantz shares a great admiration for the culture that Sampson brings in and how thankful he is for the Sampson family.

“We’ve got a culture there of everything’s done the right way. Just to see the family environment, Karen Lauren, Kellen, it’s special,” Nantz said. “We got something really good going on right now and I’m just counting my blessings that we have the Sampson family spearheading our efforts.”

One particular player that stands out to Nantz is senior point guard Jamal Shead, his 7-year-old son Jameson’s favorite player.

“He’s such a great Cougar. Such a great credit to the program,” Nantz said. “I love these kids. Jamal Shead is just such a great Cougar and such a great credit to the program. My sister sent Jamo for Christmas a Jamal Shead jersey; he wears it all the time.”

The First-Team All-American point guard was thankful to share this kind of connection with Nantz. 

“He’s an awesome role model and awesome icon for this city, especially this university and I’ve grown a lot closer to him over the past four years. He’s been nothing but impactful in a really positive way for my life,” Shead said. “For him and his son, me being one of his favorite players is awesome. It’s just such a great feeling when a guy like that respects you as much as you respect him.”

Now as the season nears its end in the tournament, Nantz wants to enjoy this run that the Cougars will have and publicly show his support for a program that assisted him in his journey — even clearing his once-busy March schedule for the team.

“I have a six-week stretch off to do whatever I want with. I’ve been asked to do a few things here and there, but I’ve turned everything down,” Nantz said. “Because I want to avail myself to whatever’s happening with the University of Houston basketball program and watch Kelvin do his thing which is greatness, that’s my goal.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz maintains support of UH basketball ahead of tourney” was originally posted on The Cougar

De’Vion Wilson finished fourth place in the 60-meter hurdles of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. | Meg Kelly/UH Athletics

Houston track and field competed in the NCAA Indoor Championships this past weekend. The Cougars’ performance was highlighted by a third-place finish in the women’s 4×400 relay as well as another First-Team All-American finish by senior hurdler De’Vion Wilson.

UH earned two First-Team All-American finishes and five Second-Team.

In the highlight event for the Cougars, the women’s 4×400 meter relay team took home third place nationally and set a school record with a time of 3:28.28. The team included graduate Kelly-Ann Beckford, graduate Sydni Townsend, senior Iman Babineaux, and freshman Michaela Mouton.

Wilson was able to earn First-Team All-American honors after he finished the final of the 60-meter hurdles in fourth place.

Junior multi-athlete in the heptathlon Grant Levesque ran a top time in the 60-meter dash to start at 6.79. Levesque finished the day in 12th place with 3131 points. 

Levesque closed out heptathlon action on Saturday with a 10th-place finish of 5842 points through six events. Levesque cleared 5.46 in the pole vault on his first attempt which is the best height in college heptathlon history.

Senior pole vaulter Christyan Sampy became another Second-Team All-American after his 10th-place finish. Sampy was able to clear the first height at 5.3 meters.

Senior sprinter Shaun Maswanganyi finished in ninth place in the 60-meter, just missing out by 0.01 seconds to qualify for the final in that event. Maswanganyi earned Second-Team All-American with his time of 6.63 seconds. His time of 20.87 seconds in the 200-meter semifinals came in 13th place, however, he still racked up another Second-Team All-American honor. This was Maswanganyi’s 12th honor in that category, which is the most in Houston track and field history. 

Beckford finished in 14th place in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:06.55. 

Up next, Houston will now focus on the outdoor season beginning on Thursday with the Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational at Carl Lewis International Complex.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Cougars capture All-American honors at NCAA Indoor Championships” was originally posted on The Cougar