From basketball to the new esports program, Comet teams competed with pride in the fall semester. Here’s a review of how men’s and women’s teams performed, along with events to look forward to during the spring semester.

Basketball 

The men’s basketball team started their season with an impressive 14-3 record and is currently 7-2 in conference play. On Jan. 14, junior guard Jalen Weber was named the American Southwest Conference (ASC) East Division Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Check the team schedule for upcoming games and livestreams.

The women’s basketball team also started off strong last semester with a record of 13-4 and 7-2 against conference teams. Sophomore guard Raenett Hughes was recently named ASC East Division Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds per game. The Comets are currently ranked No. 22 in the ASC East and upset East Texas Baptist, ranked No. 12, in the divisional opener. See the women in action Jan. 31 against Louisiana College at 5:30 p.m., or watch it online through Comet Vision.

Soccer

The men’s soccer team finished their 2018 season with a winning 13-3-2 record, and junior defender Mason Anderson was named NCAA Division III third-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Anderson is the second UT Dallas men’s soccer player to earn this recognition, along with Trent Abbott who received first-team honors in 2002. Chase Therrien and Jesse Ardila were listed as second team, and Brandon Bohn received third-team honors. The Comets were 9-1-1 in conference play.

The women’s soccer team also completed their season last semester with a winning record of 16-2-1 and went 9-1-1 in conference play. Sophomore midfielder Keely Fillman was announced as the Comets’ first women’s soccer All-American from the United Soccer Coaches, one of only three players to be named All-American in the ASC in 2018.  Jessica Rusk, Megan Theros and Sofia Munoz received second-team honors, and Monica Dallacasa received third-team recognition. The team won a school-record 13 games this fall and finished second place in the ASC, advancing to the semifinals for the 17th consecutive season.

Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team also finished their season with a winning record of 23-10 and went 13-2 in conference play. For the second year in a row, the Comets earned the Team Sportsmanship Award from the ASC. The Comets also advanced to the conference title match for the sixth season in a row. Junior middle blocker Lauren Schilling was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Schilling was also named second-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and received the Most Valuable Player distinction from the ASC East Division. 

Cross Country

The men’s cross country team won its first league title last semester after back-to-back runner up finishes in previous years. The Comet men became the 12th UTD program to earn the championship title. The women’s team placed third at the ASC Championships in October, and junior Hollee Ratliff picked up first-team All-ASC recognition this past season. The teams recorded a 14th-place finish at the Division III South/Southeast Regional Championships.

Esports

In their debut season, the esports team made a strong introduction with their Overwatch team advancing to TESPA qualifying in October and beating Texas A&M 2-0 before losing to Orange Coast College. The Overwatch teams had a 6-4 record overall last semester. In the team’s first collegiate competition in September, esports advanced to the top eight before being eliminated by the University of North Texas.