UTSA Roadrunners | |
---|---|
University | University of Texas at San Antonio |
Conference | American Athletic Conference |
NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
Athletic director | Lisa Campos |
Location | San Antonio, Texas |
Varsity teams | 17 |
Football stadium | Alamodome |
Basketball arena | Convocation Center |
Baseball stadium | Roadrunner Field |
Mascot | Rowdy |
Nickname | Roadrunners |
Fight song | Go Roadrunners, Go! |
Colors | Navy blue, orange, and white [1] |
Website | goutsa |
The UTSA Roadrunners is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", "Roadrunners", or "Runners", and are represented by the mascot Rowdy. The origin of Rowdy dates back to 1977, when the Roadrunner was chosen as the university's mascot by student election. [2]
The Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conference in 17 varsity sports. UTSA is San Antonio's only institution that competes in Division I FBS. UTSA joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2012. [3] In April 2012, it was announced that UTSA would join Conference USA on July 1, 2013. [4] Eight years later on October 21, 2021, it was announced that UTSA would join the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023. [5]
The UTSA Cheer team has garnered two National Cheerleading Associations’ (NCA) collegiate national championships, first in 2012 [6] and again in 2021. [7] [8] The cheer team has also secured a pair of top 5 finishes in 2019. [9] [10]
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Cross country |
Cross country | Golf |
Football | Soccer |
Golf | Softball |
Tennis | Tennis |
Track & field† | Track & field† |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
In December 2008, UTSA announced the planned expansion of the athletics program centered on a new football program. [11] The team's first head coach was former Miami Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker. UTSA began practicing in August 2010 and began competing as an NCAA Division I FCS independent on September 3, 2011. [11] [12] On November 11, 2010, UTSA accepted an invitation for membership within the Western Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision. [13] UTSA is now a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American), joining that league in 2023 after 10 years in Conference USA (CUSA). The Roadrunners won the CUSA championship in their last two seasons in that conference, winning the conference championship game over Western Kentucky in 2021 and North Texas in 2022. The team plays its home games at the Alamodome in Downtown San Antonio.
UTSA men's basketball began as an Independent in 1981 before joining the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference, in 1986. March 12, 1988, UTSA defeated Georgia Southern 76–69 in overtime sending the Roadrunners to their first NCAA post season appearance. [14] [15] UTSA men's basketball has won 3 regular season championships, 4 conference tournaments, and has had 4 NCAA tournament appearances. [16] [17]
UTSA appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) post season play in 2018. In 2019 the Roadrunners were invited to the CIT again but turned down post season play. [18]
The Roadrunners won their first ever Southland Conference Championship in 2008 defeating Lamar 65–56 at the Merrell Center. This also marked the UTSA women's basketball team's first NCAA Tournament berth in school history.
UTSA earned an NCAA Tournament berth for a second consecutive season [19] with a 74–63 win over top seed UT Arlington in the State Farm Southland Conference Tournament Championship Game on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at the Merrell Center.
The UTSA women's basketball team has earned 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 2 conference championships, 1 regular season title, and the 2011 Southland West Division Championship.
The UTSA baseball team was formed in 1992 where they initially competed in the Southland Conference. Built in 1993, UTSA plays at Roadrunner Field which is commonly known as "The Bird Bath." The Roadrunners have won 5 conference tournaments and have 3 NCAA post season appearances.
The UTSA softball team plays their home games at Roadrunner Field and initially competed in the Southland Conference since 1992. UTSA shattered its own NCAA record in 2007, hitting 105 round-trippers in 51 contests for a 2.06 average, eclipsing the 1.87 mark set in 2004 (101/54). The Roadrunners own three of the top six home run seasons in NCAA history 105 (2006), 103 (2005), 101 (2004) and set a conference record with 14 home runs in four games at the 2006 SLC Tournament. [20]
The Roadrunner softball team has 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2004, 2006), 3 Regular Season Southland Conference Titles (2004, 2005, 2006), and 2 Southland Conference Tournament Championships (2004, 2006). [21] [22] [23]
The Roadrunners volleyball team host their home games in the Convocation Center which has been dubbed "The Historic Convo" or "Convo" for short. The women's volleyball team began NCAA play in 1983 as an independent. In 1991 UTSA started play in the Southland Conference. In 2010 the Roadrunners won their second-ever Southland Conference Tournament Championship in program history [24] and head to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. [25] In 2012 the team played a single season in the Western athletics conference, the following year transitioned to conference USA. In 2014 the Roadrunners sweep Tulsa to win the Conference USA Regular Season Championship in 2013. [26] UTSA clinched their third NCAA Tournament berth in program history in 2013 by claiming the Conference USA Tournament Championship in four sets against Tulane (25–20, 25–16, 18–25, 25–23). [27] In 2014 the Roadrunners captured the Conference USA Regular Season Championship with a sweep of Rice (25–19, 25–21, 25–22). The volleyball team has 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2000, 2010, 2013), 3 Conference Tournament Championships (2000, 2010, 2013), and 5 Regular Season Championship Titles(1999, 2010, 2013, 2014).
The I-35 Rivalry Orange vs. Maroon Rivalry series is the name given to the athletic competitions between the Roadrunners and the Texas State Bobcats. The name is derived from the Interstate highway that essentially links the two schools, which are in relatively close proximity to each other. In the beginning of the rivalry, a trophy was awarded to the winner of the men's basketball game. It has grown, however, to include all common sports the two schools compete with each other in throughout the academic year. A point system is used to crown a winner after the last competition between the schools in that year. The trophy is then inscribed with the annual winners and the winning institution retains the trophy for one year until the next winner is crowned. [28] [29]
NCAA Men's Final Four | NCAA Women's Final Four | NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament/Final Four |
---|---|---|
1998 | 2002 | 2005 |
2004 | 2010 | 2011 [95] |
2008 | 2021 [96] [97] | – |
2018 | – | – |
The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Southland sponsors 18 sports, 10 for women and eight for men, and is governed by a presidential Board of Directors and an Advisory Council of athletic and academic administrators. Chris Grant became the Southland's seventh commissioner on April 5, 2022. From 1996 to 2002, for football only, the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League.
North Texas Mean Green represents the University of North Texas (UNT) in intercollegiate athletics. The teams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). North Texas competed in the Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023. UNT's official school colors are Green and White. North Texas' mascot is an Eagle named Scrappy.
The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, a non-NCAA sanctioned varsity sport which competes in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association within the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. Additionally, the school will become an affiliate member of Conference USA in the sport of beach volleyball beginning in 2025 because the American Athletic Conference does not sponsor the sport. The current athletic director is Michael Kelly, who has held the job since 2018. The school colors are green and gold and the mascot is Rocky D. Bull.
The UCF Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Since men's soccer is not sponsored by the Big 12, they play in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Youngstown State Penguins are the athletic teams of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, and the Penguins compete in football as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Most other sports compete as members of the Horizon League.
The Texas State Bobcats are the sports teams that represent Texas State University. Currently, they compete in the Sun Belt Conference in NCAA Division I. The Bobcat has been the mascot of Texas State University since 1921, when the university adopted the name from the recommendation of a committee formed to raise school spirit. Though considerably smaller than mountain lions, bobcats are known for their stubborn fierceness and great courage. The football squad used the bobcat for the first time in 1921 and went undefeated with a 7–0 season. Texas State had several officially recognized live bobcat mascots until the 1970s. In 1964, the Texas State Bobcat was given the official name of "Boko" by Beth Greenlees, a sophomore from Luling, Texas, who beat out about 100 other students in a "Name the Bobcat" contest. Her winning submission earned her a $5 prize and the honor of being the person who named the Texas State mascot. Boko has twice been named “USA National Champion” mascot. Texas State had no official fight song until 1961, when Paul Yoder was commissioned to compose "Go Bobcats." The song is the rousing "call to arms" for all Texas State athletic games and competition.
The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The Sam Houston Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white. Sam Houston sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in Conference USA (CUSA), having joined that conference on July 1, 2023 after spending 34 years in the Southland Conference and two years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.
The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 15 varsity sports. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 women's golf began their first season of competition that athletic season.
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). ULM currently fields 15 varsity teams in 11 sports and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
The UTSA Roadrunners football program represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in the sport of American football. The Roadrunners compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the American Athletic Conference. They are coached by Jeff Traylor, who started in 2020. The Roadrunners play their home games at the Alamodome, which has a seating capacity of 65,000 but whose capacity for UTSA games is normally restricted to 36,582.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are composed of 16 teams representing Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in intercollegiate athletics. Stephen F. Austin teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southland Conference (SLC), having rejoined that conference on July 1, 2024 after three years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for football in the SLC. The only SFA sport not sponsored by the SLC is women's bowling, which competes in Conference USA (CUSA).
The UTSA Roadrunners men's basketball team represents the University of Texas at San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, US in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference from the 2023–24 season. Originally competing as an NCAA independent in 1981–82, the Roadrunners moved to the Trans-America Athletic Conference in 1986–87, then moved to the Southland Conference in 1991–92, then moved to the Western Athletic Conference in 2012–2013, then moved to Conference USA in 2013–2014 where they remained for the next 10 seasons. UTSA plays its home games at the on-campus Convocation Center, and is coached by Austin Claunch.
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The UTSA Roadrunners women's basketball team represents the University of Texas at San Antonio in women's basketball. The school competes in the American Athletic Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Roadrunners play home basketball games at Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The Southland Conference softball tournament is the conference championship tournament in college softball for the Southland Conference (SLC). It is a double-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament.
The Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I college soccer. The team, currently led by head coach Nathan Kogut, competes in the Southland Conference. The team's initial season was 2007. The Lady Cardinals' home stadium is the Lamar Soccer Complex located on the university's campus. The team began playing home games there starting with the 2009 season. The Lady Cardinals home stadium for the first two seasons was Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium.
The 1999 NCAA Division I softball season, the play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1999. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 1999 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 1999 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 31, 1999.