Roadrunner Sports
Athlete Spotlight: Mark Waters
Even as a child, Mark Waters was hyper. The
only solution, his family thought, was to put him in football.
"My family had a hard time keeping me calm," the 22-year-old
said. "I’d be outside, running around on the streets."
Quickly, he discovered he not only liked the sport, but he was pretty good at it, too.
"I liked being violent on the field," he laughs.
Waters is one of only two seniors on UTSA’s first football
team. The 5-foot-10-inch safety from El Paso was selected in
March 2010 as one of the team’s first walk-ons. He’s the only one
that remains from that first selection.
He’s also one of the few that come with experience. He got
his start playing for new Mexico State in 2007, but transferred to
UTSA after finding out about the fledgling program. He’s credited
for being a strong leader on the field, and it’s a role he takes
seriously.
But what may make an even bigger impression is that he is an
inspiring, optimistic person off the field as well.
"When it’s not football, I really try to be a happy person," he
said. "People notice that I’m smiling. I try to stay positive."
The kinesiology major wants to become a physical therapist
someday to help injured athletes return to their sports. His inspiration
is his aunt, who uses a wheelchair.
"She said I would be a good help to people," he said. "I want
to help people get back to where they want to be."
Click on a circle to read more.
Sports Briefs
Football
UTSA completed its
inaugural season with a
4–6 record with victories
against Northwestern
State (31–3), Bacone
(54–7), Georgia State
(17–14/OT) and Minot
State (49–7). The
Roadrunners set NCAA
start-up program records
for first-game attendance
(56,743) and per-game
attendance (35,521) at
the Alamodome. UTSA,
which played as a Football
Championship Subdivision
independent in 2011, will
join the Western Athletic
Conference next fall and
play a full WAC schedule
in addition to non-conference
games against
South Alabama (Sept. 1),
Georgia State (Sept. 15),
Northwestern Oklahoma
State (Sept. 22), Rice
(Oct. 13) and McNeese
State (Nov. 10).
Cross Country
The UTSA men’s and
women’s cross-country
teams both finished
second at October’s
Southland Conference
Championships. The
men’s runner-up finish
was the program’s best
since winning the league
title in 1997, while the
women posted their best
showing in a dozen years.
Seniors Albert Cardenas
(third) and Cole Reveal
(fifth) both earned all-conference
honors for
the second consecutive
season. Cardenas’ third-place
performance was
the best by a Roadrunner
male since Philo
Saunders finished third
in 1998. Meanwhile,
Nina Herrera (seventh)
and Alyssa Diaz (ninth)
garnered all-league accolades
for the women with
their top-10 finishes.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf team
started the fall with a
string of challenging
tournaments against some
of the nation’s best. The
efforts of the squad paid
off as UTSA won its home
tournament, The Alamo
Invitational (Oct. 30–Nov.
1), by three strokes over
Baylor. The team was led
by sophomore Fabiola
Arriaga, who took home
individual medalist honors
with a career-best 213
(69–72–72). It marks
the fourth tournament
title for the Roadrunners,
all of which have come
under head coach Carrie
Parnaby.
Men’s Golf
Led by 17th-place finishes
from junior Stanton
Tondre and sophomore
Ryan Werre, UTSA concluded
its fall campaign
with a ninth-place showing
at the third annual Lone Star Invitational at
Briggs Ranch Golf Club
in San Antonio. Tondre, a
graduate of Medina Valley
High School in Castroville,
Texas, and Werre
each carded a three-overpar
219 in the 54-hole
tournament.
Soccer
UTSA recently concluded
its regular season and
qualified for its sixth
consecutive Southland
Conference Tournament.
The Roadrunners
placed four players
on the all-conference
teams, led by sophomore
defender Anka Grotle,
who became the first
player in program history
to earn first-team honors
in back-to-back seasons.
Sophomore forward
Maria Jose Rojas took
home second-team honors
for the second time
while freshman forward
Liv Nyhegn also was a
second-team selection.
In addition, sophomore
goalkeeper Danielle
Snyder was an honorable
mention pick.
Volleyball
UTSA finished its final campaign in the
Southland Conference
with a 22–11 overall
record and 14–2 mark
in league play. The
Roadrunners earned
the No. 2 seed in the
Southland Tournament
and advanced to the
championship match
for the second straight
year. At the start of
conference play, UTSA
swept its first 12
Southland opponents
and won 36 consecutive
sets, marking the
longest such streak in
the nation. UTSA continued
its dominance
in the Convocation
Center, pushing its
home winning streak to
14 matches. Redshirt
junior setter Kelsey
Schwirtlich set the program’s
record for assists
in the 25-point rally
scoring era (2008-present)
and senior libero
Kelsey Jewasko became
the all-time digs
leader and was named
one of 10 finalists for
the prestigious Lowe’s
Senior CLASS Award,
which honors NCAA
Division I seniors who
have notable achievements
in four areas of
excellence—community,
classroom, character
and competition. The
Roadrunners garnered
seven All-Southland
honors as Jewasko,
Schwirtlich, sophomore
Mckenzie Adams and junior
Whitney Walls were
all named first-team
all-conference. Junior
Brittney Malloy collected
second team honors.
In addition, Schwirtlich
was tabbed the league’s
Setter of the Year and
Adams was named the
Newcomer of the Year.
—UTSA Athletics Communications
