| UT Arlington Mavericks | |
| University | University of Texas at Arlington |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Southland |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Pete Carlon[1] |
| Location | Arlington, TX |
| Varsity teams | 14 |
| Football stadium | Maverick Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Texas Hall |
| Baseball stadium | Clay Gould Ballpark |
| Mascot | Blaze |
| Nickname | Mavericks |
| Fight song | UTA Fight Song |
| Colors | Blue and White
|
| Homepage | www.utamavs.com |
The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington. The Mavericks team name selection was made in 1971,[2] predating the Dallas Mavericks starting choice in 1980. The Mavericks compete in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference in 14 varsity sports. UT Arlington is a charter member of the Southland Conference and one of two charter members still in the conference (and the only one which has remained with the conference since its inception; Lamar University left the Southland Conference but later rejoined).[3]
UT Arlington has won the Southland Conference's Commissioners Cup three times since the award was first instituted in 1998. The Commissioners Cup is awarded to the athletics program with the highest all-around performance in all conference events, including all men's and women's events.[4]
A new arena called the College Park Center is currently under construction for basketball and volleyball home games as well as other university activities. The arena is expected to be completed by December 2011 and will seat approximately 6,500 people.[5]
UT-Arlington will begin competing in the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2012.[6]
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The Mavericks compete in the Division I varsity sports listed below[7]:
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The men's baseball team plays at Clay Gould Ballpark, located at the southwestern edge of the UT Arlington campus. The inaugural season was in 1969.[8] Highlights include Southland Conference regular season championships in 1990 and 1992 along with tournament championships in 2001 and 2006.
Home games are played at Texas Hall, located on University of Texas at Arlington's campus in Arlington. The team appeared in the 2008 NCAA tournament, losing against the #1 seed Memphis in the first round. Later, Memphis had to forfeit their win for "ineligible competition, impermissible benefits and failure to monitor its athletics programs."[9] Although only 14 of 51 seasons have resulted in an overall winning record, 5 of the past 10 seasons have winning records along with a tie for the 2004 regular season champion and a 2008 conference tournament championship that led to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.[10]
The women's basketball team was established in 1972 and experienced early success with a combined 64-32 record in three seasons between 1975 and 1977.[11] The Mavericks participated in several AIAW state and regional tournaments before joining the Southland Conference beginning with the 1982-83 season. Between 2004 and 2010, the team posted an overall record of 121-65. During this time span, highlights have included a perfect 16-0 Southland Conference record for the 2006-07 season and two NCAA tournament appearances (2005 and 2007).[12]
UT Arlington fielded a Division I football program in the Southland Conference from 1964 to 1985. Home games were played in Maverick Stadium. The Mavericks were conference champions in 1966, 1967, and 1981. In 1967, the team game won the Pecan Bowl against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux,[13] the only bowl game in its history. The team was disbanded after the 1985 season due to major financial losses (nearly one million dollars per year) and low home game average attendance (5,600 with 23,100 students). By the end, the program was funded by the university's auxiliary enterprise income while the other 14 sports were under-funded, as football accounted for half the total athletic budget.[14]
In April 2004, UT Arlington students voted by a 2-to-1 margin to increase their student athletic fees by $2 per semester-credit hour should the university reinstate football and begin women's golf and soccer teams. After review, President James D. Spaniolo dismissed the idea as too costly in terms of time and resources.[15]
In Track & Field, the men's team has won seven outdoor and eight indoor Southland Conference championships. The women's team has won six outdoor and seven indoor championships.[16] The softball team has won three regular season championships and one tournament championship in 2003.[17]
The men's tennis team has won seven regular season championships in the Southland Conference, including a streak of 5 in 6 years from 1998 to 2003. The women's team has seen similar success, also winning seven championships with a streak of 6 in 7 years from 1999 to 2005.[18]
The first season for volleyball at UT Arlington was in 1973. The volleyball team appeared in the national rankings towards the end of the 1980s and advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Final Four in 1989.[19] The team has won 12 Southland Conference regular season championships, including the first 9 from 1982 to 1990.
The baseball and football programs have produced several notable athletes.
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