Fall Rewind
The Houston football team (10-4, 7-1 C-USA) captured the C-USA football crown for the first time since 1996, knocking off Southern Miss 34-20 in front of 31,818 fans—a Robertson Stadium record. The Cougars went to Memphis and lost a hard-fought 44-36 contest to South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. QB Kevin Kolb lived up to all of the preseason hype, throwing for 3,809 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to C-USA Offensive Player of the Year. The Stephenville native moved into the No. 1 spot in program history for passing yards and total offense.
Anthony Alridge sparked the offense, registering 959 yards on 95 carries, averaging an amazing 10.1 yards per carry. Jackie Battle also rushed for 943 yards along with a single-season record of 15 touchdowns. Through the air, the trio of Vincent Marshall, Donnie Avery, and Jeron Harvey caught over 600 receiving yards apiece. Will Gulley paced the defense with 105 tackles, including 66 solo stops in addition to five interceptions. Trent Allen and Cody Lubojasky tallied 95 and 90 tackles, respectively.
The volleyball team compiled a 19-17 mark before losing to Memphis in the C-USA semifinals. Justine Farmer cranked 645 kills—the second-highest in program history to earn an All-Conference USA First Team selection. Cougars Kelly McAnelly (1,488 kills) and Becca Sartori
(1,369 kills) broke into the Top 25 C-USA career kills list as well as making the top five in program history.
The soccer team completed a 9-10 season and just missed qualifying for the C-USA tournament. Sophia Mundy scored 10 of the team’s 37 goals for the season, earning All-Conference USA First-Team honors for the second time.
The men’s and women’s Cougar cross country teams finished fifth and eighth, respectively, at the C-USA meet. The men’s fifth-place finish was headlined by Ahmed Harb. Jessica Cook took the top spot for the women’s team, finishing 25th. Both players competed at the NCAA Regionals.
Spring Forward
The Cougar baseball team returns with fifteen letter-winners and eight starters from last season’s squad, which finished 39-22 and was ranked among the Top 25 in all four final national polls. Outfielder Bryan Tully returns in 2007 as the team’s leading hitter after finishing with a .322 batting average, six home runs, and 28 RBIs.
Pitcher Ricky Hargrove compiled an 8-6 record with 82 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA in 100.2 innings. Last summer, he was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star Game. Luis Flores came on strong down the stretch, pitching to a 6-3 record with 67 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA in 87.0 innings. Flores also batted .288 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs.
Our softball team will rely on experience from a 40-23 campaign last season. The Cougars are headlined by 2006 C-USA Pitcher of the Year and National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region per former Angel Shamblin. Catcher Elaina Nordstrom, 2006 C-USA Freshman of the Year, paced the offense with a .361 batting average and a program freshman record of 54 RBIs. Shortstop Jessica Valis, a 2006 C-USA First-Team per former, broke a program record with 72 hits.
Catch the action of cougar sports! For tickets, call 713-GO-COOGS
or visit www.uhcougars.com
—Matt Dunaway |
