ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT RENU KHATOR At the University of Houston, our commitment to the highest ideals of higher education is unwavering. Continuing student success, innovative research, rigorous scholarship and enlightened community support are pillars of our institution – as is a fully engaged and nationally competitive athletics program. UH’s athletics department makes an invaluable contribution to our overall mission, garnering widespread admiration, developing the leadership skills of countless student-athletes, exciting and inspiring our Cougar community and earning respect and RENU KHATOR President, University of Houston recognition for the city of Houston. A MESSAGE FROM OUR AD As we look back at the 2017-18 season, I want to take this opportunity to thank our student-athletes, donors, fans, coaches, and staff for the tremendous support since I have taken this position. I am also proud to update you on progress to date within our department, our vision for the future and plans for achieving those objectives. Athletics/Alumni Center, to include an indoor-banked track along with renovated courts for Volleyball training. Let me start by congratulating our sports programs’ six American Athletics Conference championships during the spring semester: Recent facility construction has had an immediate positive • Women’s Swimming & Diving impact on our sport programs and produced a great return on • Men’s Indoor Track & Field investment for our supporters. The Guy V. Lewis Development • Women’s Golf Facility has served both Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs • Men’s Outdoor Track & Field as an excellent recruiting tool valuable for developing top talent. • Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Both teams demonstrated the value by advancing to NCAA • Baseball postseason play. This was the second straight year the University of Houston led A much-needed outdoor Track & Field redevelopment project has the conference in championships. Equally impressive, 13 of our elevated the training facilities to contribute to our Men’s team 17 programs participated in postseason competition, highlighted earning the previously mentioned third-place finish at the NCAA by Men’s Outdoor Track & Field’s third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. We anticipate a continued upward Championships. progression of all of our teams as the facilities are completed. Off the field, our 443 student-athletes are continuing to make With our facility improvements proceeding, we are focusing championship strides by setting a department-record 2.97 GPA internally on investing in and retaining key staff and achieving for the spring semester. The mark bolsters a cumulative GPA of productive business initiatives and opportunities to improve our 2.92, the second best in program history (behind last spring’s fan experience. 2.93) with an average of 14.02 hours passed. Most impressive, As we look towards advancing our program into the future, we 26 percent of our student-athletes are on the Spring Dean’s List. are also focused on new business initiatives that will provide As I’ve emphasized since my start, to continue Houston Athletics’ fresh or enhanced revenue streams necessary to support our resurgence on a national level, we must support growth through goals and objectives. reinvesting in our support system and infrastructure without I am excited by the direction of our program and the pride I feel compromising the key priorities and principles that define our in leading this department is boundless. Thus, I am sincerely program. requesting your passionate support, your generous cooperation With a recent focus on capital projects, our facilities have and your enthusiastic buy-in, to provide the foundation for become highly competitive nationally and with our continuing achieving our mutual long-term goals on and off the field. enhancements, we will provide the best possible experience for On behalf of Houston Athletics…Thank You! Always know, current and future student-athletes. As construction continues, EXCELLENCE IS OUR ONLY STANDARD! an amazing facility is emerging in the Fertitta Center, along with the Baseball Student-Athlete Development Center and Clubhouse, GO COOGS! the Dominic & Ellen Ng Academic Center for Excellence, Cougar Den Dining Facility, Football Outdoor Practice Field conversion to natural grass with the addition of lighting. Early July marked the start of construction on Softball’s new indoor hitting facility. We are currently conducting a feasibility Chris Pezman study for repurposing Yeoman Fieldhouse, located inside the University of Houston Vice President for Athletics UHCougars.com | @UHCougars 1 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 MISSION STATEMENT VISION GOALS TO BE THE BEST • Academic Success • Student-Athlete Development • Conference Positioning MISSION • Football & Men’s Basketball Success BUILDING CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE • Revenue Generation and Fan Attendance FOCUS • Facility Enhancements • Transparency and Integrity STUDENT-ATHLETE SUCCESS 2 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FINANCIAL SUCCESS As of July 24, Cougar Pride had raised more than $6.5 MILLION with more than 3,600 donors Nearly $5 MILLION in tickets revenue generated 195,499 total attendance at TDECU Stadium in 2017 14Th- HIGHEST home football attendance in school history UHCougars.com | @UHCougars 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 MEET OUR HEAD COACHES MAJOR DIEGO LEROY GERROD JONATHAN APPLEWHITE BOCANEGRA BURRELL CHADWELL DISMUKE FOOTBALL SOccER TRACK & FIELD WOMEN’S GOLF MEN’S GOLF RONALD STEVE KADDIE KELVIN COURTNEY HUGHEY MAGNESS PLATT SAMPSON STEINBOCK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CROSS COUNTRY VOLLEYBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL TENNIS KRISTIN TODD RYAN VESELY WHITTING WOCHOMURKA SOFTBALL BASEBALL SwimmiNG & DIVING 4 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE GEORGI DOLENCE HANNAH DAUZAT PAIGE LAWRENCE BLAKE CONTRERAS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT DIRECTOR OF COmmUNITY DIRECTOR OF STUDENT- SOCCER SOCCER ENGAGEMENT ATHLETE ENGAGEMENT JUNIOR SENIOR WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD MEN’S TRACK & FIELD/ SENIOR CROSS COUNTRY JUNIOR LAUREN ALTER PRESLEY BELL NOLAN BOND DORIAN BRANCH ARMONI BROOKS KATELYN BUB TENNIS SOFTBALL BASEBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEN’S BASKEBALL SOccER SOPHOMORE JUNIOR JUNIOR SOPHOMORE SOPHOMORE SOPHOMORE CARSON CAVNER KAILA CHIZER KAYLIN CRUMPTON STEVEN DUNBAR AMANDA ELICH GEORGE GARDNER MEN’S GOLF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SOFTBALL FOOTBALL WOMEN’S GOLF MEN’S GOLF JUNIOR SENIOR SENIOR SENIOR FRESHMAN SOPHOMORE CONOR GLENN ANA GLUMAC LEONIE HARM CONNOR HOLLIS ABBY IRVINE KATIE KREBS SwimmiNG & DIVING TENNIS WOMEN’S GOLF BASEBALL VOLLEYBALL VOLLEYBALL JUNIOR SENIOR JUNIOR SENIOR FRESHMAN JUNIOR JOHN LEWIS III BRIANNA LYNCH ALEXANDER MYRES WILL NOBLE NOLIN PACKER JENNY PENNECK MEN’S TRACK & FIELD VOLLEYBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL SOccER SwimmiNG & DIVING JUNIOR SENIOR JUNIOR JUNIOR SOPHOMORE JUNIOR KRISTIN POWELL CAMERON PREJEAN DANE ROY VALENTINE SANGOYOMI TAYLOR SCAIFE NICK SLAUGHTER WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY/ MEN’S TRACK & FIELD FOOTBALL MEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S TRACK & BASEBALL TRACK & FIELD JUNIOR JUNIOR SOPHOMORE JUNIOR FIELD JUNIOR SOPHOMORE MEREDITH SORENSEN BREELYN THAMES FELIPE VALENCIA CHENELLE WALKER MYYAH WEST KAITLYN WILD WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY/ SOFTBALL MEN’S TRACK & FIELD VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SOccER TRACK & FIELD JUNIOR JUNIOR JUNIOR JUNIOR JUNIOR SOPHOMORE UHCougars.com | @UHCougars 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 STUDENT-ATHLETE BREAKDOWN Human Resource Development 1 Biomed/Biophysics 1 Teaching and Learning 1 Breakdown by class Art/Studio Art 1 Pre-Pharmacy 1 99 Freshmen Human Development and Family Studies 2 Anthropology 2 17 Redshirt Freshmen 23.8% English 2 Computer Engineering Technology 2 4.1% 107 Sophomores Mechanical Engineering Technology 2 Math 2 416 TOTAL Hotel Restaurant and Management Administration 2 25.7% student-athletes Liberal Studies 3 Communication Disorders 3 99 Juniors Construction Management 3 23.8% Interdisciplinary Studies 3 94 Seniors Economics 3 Supply Chain Logistics & Technology 4 22.6% Kinesiology-Fitness/Sports 4 Chemistry 4 Engineering 6 Biology/Biochemistry 7 Nutrition 8 Organizational Leadership & Supervision 11 Communications 16 Retailing and Consumer Sciences 17 Sociology 17 Breakdown Kinesiology-Sport Administration 19 Psychology 24 by major Kinesiology- Exercise Science 25 Health 56 Exploratory Studies (undeclared) 87 6 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS WHERE THEY’re University of Houston Athletics is represented by more than 400 student-athletes. This group hails from 27 of the United States as well as 23 different nations. FROM BY STATE TEXANS COMPRISE 70.67 PERCENT (294) OF HOUSTON ATHLETICS’ STUDENT-ATHLETES. CALIFORNIA RANKS SECOND WITH 2.88 PERCENT. BY NATION Australia 1 Canada 5 Germany 1 New Zealand 1 South Africa 1 Bahamas 3 Colombia 1 Greece 2 Nigeria 2 Sweden 1 Barbados 1 Denmark 1 Italy 1 Russia 2 Spain 2 Belgium 1 England 1 Japan 2 Serbia 1 Bulgaria 1 Estonia 1 Mexico 2 Scotland 1 UHCougars.com | @UHCougars 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS 4.0 GPAs in 2017-18 LUKE BARKSDALE BRIAN BARRAZA RYAN EMMERT CAIT HORNER MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD MEN’S TRACK & VOLLEYBALL SwimmiNG AND DIVING BUSINESS FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY KINESIOLOgy HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & Kinesiology • Master’s FAMILY STUDIES PEYTON KONDIS KRISTIN POWELL BREELYN THAMES VICTORIA TILLMAN CHENELLE WALKER SwimmiNG & DIVING WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD/ SOFTBALL SwimmiNG & DIVING VOLLEYBALL KINESIOLOgy CROSS COUNTRY HEALTH KINESIOLOgy COmmUNICATION