The New York Liberty (30-6) entered College Park Center with one goal: to stay No. 1 in the WNBA standings. Despite the Dallas Wings’ (9-27) efforts to close the season out strong, the team dropped its fifth-straight loss, 105-91. The Wings were eliminated from playoff contention after Sunday’s loss. When asked what continues to motivate the team, head coach Latricia Trammell said it was their resumes that pushed them forward. Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the team’s still watching film, practicing and focusing on both sides of the court. “We're still locked in, and we're not changing anything that what we've been doing,” Trammell said. Trammell said that as competitors, the team is focused on winning every game and aims to be “upsetters” in the final season stretch. With every top team playing for seeding, the plan is to disrupt teams vying for playoff spots. Despite the loss, it was the Wings’ third game in the last six where five players scored in double-scoring figures. Forward Maddy Siegrist reached double-digit scoring with 10 points, her first since returning from injury and grabbed game-high rebounds. Forward Natasha Howard recorded her sixth 20-point game this season. In a season riddled with injuries, players want to give their all, not knowing how many games they’ll play, Siegrist said. The team played hard Tuesday, but she said that moral victories won’t get teams far. With the playoffs out of reach, it’s a great opportunity for young players to “finish strong” and showcase their talents to build momentum before heading into the next season, Howard said. The Wings held the Liberty under their average on fast break points but the Liberty dominated by hitting 16 3-pointers. The Wings never led, trailing by 17 in the first half and 25 in the second. Forward Satou Sabally didn’t have a huge performance, recording nine points, but she had fun competing against her sister, Liberty forward Nyara Sabally, sending her to the free-throw line after a hard foul. There’s a little trash talk between the two, but Trammell said it’s all love and respect between the two. “What an incredible thing to say that both sisters are playing in the WNBA,” Trammell said. “A lot of respect there.” Dallas guard Arike Ogunbowale recorded 23 points, three rebounds and four assists, 11 away from becoming the Wings’ franchise leader for career points. “Anything that she has accomplished is not a small feat,” Trammell said. “It's from her dedication, her hard work, being the professional that she is. Even in the off season, she stays locked in and I'm extremely excited to see what she's going to do next. She's an impact and what she's done for this franchise, the women's game, for me, is pretty special.” The Wings will be back in action 7 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center for their rematch against the Liberty. @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not just compete in the Paralympics, but to become part of the first wheelchair basketball team to achieve three consecutive gold medals in the Paris Paralympic Games, said Fabian Romo, Paralympic gold medalist and UTA alumnus. “[I] couldn't be more proud to be their teammate, to be part of that team that made history with them,” Romo said. “Super grateful that I could be part of that whole team, to be able to finish [the veterans’ careers] off on such a high note.” Throughout the past two weeks, Movin’ Mavs players hosted Paralympic watch parties to cheer on the wheelchair basketball teams at Trinity Hall and the Maverick Activities Center. With each U.S. bucket made, cheers grew louder as the players held their breath between every point, glancing at each other in excitement. When the U.S. team secured the Paralympic gold, they couldn’t contain themselves as “USA” chants filled the room. “That’s history-making,” kinesiology junior Ke’Sean Paire said. Team USA’s men’s wheelchair basketball cemented themselves in history defeating Great Britain, 73-69, during the 2024 Paris Paralympics, becoming the first men’s wheelchair basketball team to win three consecutive gold medals at the Paralympics. Romo said he’s known a lot of players in the Movin’ Mavs community since they were kids. He said he feels like a big brother to them, and it means a lot to have their support and to have them in his corner. “I've always done what I can, not just for them, but for the [Movin’ Mavs],” Romo said. “Ever since I graduated, I would always come back and stick around because this is a family. I'm always going to support the program and whoever comes in, that's family.” The men’s team won all three games in group play, their quarterfinals and semifinal matchups by an average of 36 points, becoming the most successful men’s wheelchair team of all time. “Knowing that their hard work paid off, and I was able to watch their hard work, hopefully I can apply some of their knowledge of the game and how their hard work came to play,” Movin’ Mavs player Carrington Marendes said. The USA women’s wheelchair basketball team secured silver after falling to the Netherlands, 63-49, in the finals. Paire said watching and supporting the Paralympics as a team motivates players to keep working hard to improve every day. He’s able to look back on the film to see what the U.S. teams did, implementing it in practice. “It’s amazing,” he said. “Just being able to watch in real time is an amazing feeling. Especially, when you know people that’s on the team you either played against or played with, it’s just like, ‘Wow.’” Marendes said he didn’t register the feat Team USA would accomplish until the announcers continuously repeated the chance for its third consecutive gold. “That really speaks about the consistency and about the longevity of the team. They’ve been together for so long doing the same thing,” Marendes said. Former UTA players like Romo and Paul Schulte, with assistant coach Mike Paye, won on an international stage after competing on university courts. After winning gold, Romo embraced his parents, thanking them for their sacrifices from driving him to practices to watching him win a gold medal in Paris. “They’ve been my biggest fans,” Romo said. “They’ve seen all the losses and all the wins. So it’s always been them behind me, and they just couldn’t be more proud of me.” Watching the men’s team claim gold was a bittersweet feeling, Marendes said. It’s been his goal to make the U.S. team, and being around his teammates created a fun atmosphere when cheering the team on and watching UTA alumni achieve their dreams. “In the inside, I’m feeling a lot more excited about it, because I want to be there one day,” Marendes said. “It’s a really great feeling.” @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Given the fluidity of the collegiate athletics coaching business, Mike Trapasso, UTA head baseball coach, wasn’t surprised about former head coach Clay Van Hook’s resignation. After supporting Van Hook’s decision, Trapasso had a question to answer: Was it time to step back into a head coaching role again? Trapasso, who has coached Division I baseball for over three decades, was hired as an assistant coach by Van Hook. Following Van Hook’s resignation in early August, UTA Athletics made the decision to promote Trapasso. “My job was to give him my thoughts. If he took it to heart, great. If he wanted to do something else, great. We presented to the players as if it was all of our idea,” Trapasso said. “That’s what being an assistant coach is about.” Trapasso said a lot of young coaches aren’t secure enough in what they’re doing to hire a former head coach, but Van Hook didn’t have those insecurities, something that showed what kind of person he was. “I was very happy in that role, supporting [Van Hook] and trying to help him not make the same mistakes, as a young coach, that I made when I was a young coach,” Trapasso said. Prior to his time in Arlington, Trapasso spent 20 years as the head coach for the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, guiding the Rainbow Warriors to multiple National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional appearances and later served as a pitching coach at the United States Naval Academy in 2022. He was also named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times, making appearances in back-to-back WAC championship games in 2010 with a title win and going back in 2011. Three years removed from his head coaching job at Hawai’i, Trapasso knew he wanted to venture into head coaching again and told Athletics director Jon Fagg that he was interested in the job the day after Van Hook’s resignation was announced. “My faith is the most important thing in what I do, and I feel strongly that we’re all called to do things until we’re not,” Trapasso said. “And I still feel called to really do this and try to create a culture for these young men where they can succeed.” Less than two weeks after Van Hook resigned, Trapasso was announced as the eighth coach in program history. Mavericks first baseman Tyce Armstrong said that with Trapasso’s experience as a head coach and the team, they had a feeling he would be the one hired to the position. “We were just hoping they weren’t going to bring in somebody that hasn’t been here and only give them a week for getting recollected with this team,” Armstrong said. The coaching staff was consistent and collaborative, leading to a seamless transition, Trapasso said. He added that the coaching change isn’t like many where a new coach has to go in and learn the whole team. While the personality of the team needs to be figured out, that’s something that changes every season. “We have that relationship with these guys already. We were ready to take, and are hoping to take, that next step in development with a lot of guys who’ve been here for a year or two, and it’s going to take a lot of work and we’ll have to see how that goes,” Trapasso said. Armstrong, entering his fourth year at UTA, has had three different head coaches during his time as a Maverick and said he’s thankful his newest coach will be someone he already knows. “I have a connection with him and so do most of the guys that have been on this team. Even the new guys are already making connections with him,” he said. In his first year as head coach, Trapasso hopes to set a culture for the team and establish an identity for the program. “We want our program’s identity to be one where we develop guys. Where guys come into our program and get better through good coaching and hard work,” Trapasso said. “But then each team, every year, depending on its personnel, has to have its own identity as a team, and that’s based usually on skill sets.” He hopes to use his time with the team during fall practices to eliminate team issues such as walks, errors, strikeouts and not being able to get bunts down. “I know that he’s going to get our guys right,” Armstrong said. “We have a lot of talent who just came in from the [transfer] portal and from [junior college], so he’s going to work with them this fall, he’s going to get them right, and I’m really excited to see what it’s going to be in the spring.” The team is set to announce their fall exhibition schedule in the coming weeks. @jwheels_1 @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The volleyball team (6-0) remains undefeated with a victory over the University of Louisiana Monroe (1-5) on Saturday at College Park Center to complete the UTA Classic sweep. After winning a challenging opening match of the three-game home set against Santa Clara University, UTA cruised to victories against McNeese State University and ULM in straight sets. UTA dominated the first set 25-13, led by five kills from graduate outside hitter Brianna Ford, who was named last week’s Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Louisiana Monroe provided more resistance in the second and third sets. However, UTA pulled ahead in both, 25-21 and 25-20. Head coach J.T. Wenger said the team has leaned on the leadership and experience of the group of graduate students. “It's very impactful to have a handful of graduate students that have been around,” Wenger said. “They know the ups and downs of the season, they've weathered storms in the past, they know how to ride a wave when things are going well.” Ford said the team’s motto for the season is “just believe,” inspired by Ted Lasso. The team even created their own version of the sign, adding glitter. The players want to prove to themselves that they can beat any team. “I think that we just want to prove to ourselves that we are capable of beating any team,” Ford said. “We just have to go out and have our best two and a half hours out on the court.” Graduate setter Mollie Blank said the team works hard in practice to get tempo and location on point to maintain a high-level offensive performance. She led all players with 23 assists. Graduate middle blocker Paige Reagor recorded 13 points and 11 kills. The Mavericks will return to action at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 as they prepare for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. @babyboimatt news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Maverick community gathered amongst a crowd of nearly 23,000 fans rocking orange, white and blue co-branded baseball caps Thursday at Globe Life Field for the annual UTA Night at the Rangers. The Texas Rangers (68-73) kicked off a four-game home series with a 3-1 victory over a division rival the Los Angeles Angels (58-82). Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford was credited with the win on the mound, pitching six innings and racking up four strikeouts while giving up one earned run and two hits. “Tonight [Bradford] was on top of his game. Good command, solid six innings,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. Adding a Texas Rangers and UTA specialty cap to his collection, David Cruz, IT Service Management assistant director at UTA, said he plans to place the newest addition on display at Trinity Hall. Rangers right fielder Adolis García smashed a three-run home run in the first inning, one of five total hits in the opening frame. The home run ended up being the only offense the Rangers needed en route to their victory. On the opposing side, the Angels' lone run came in the top of the third inning, with the Rangers unable to complete a double play with runners on first and third base allowing a run to score. Rangers pitcher Kirby Yates picked up the save for the team, his 27th of the year, striking out three in the top of the ninth inning. Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz was credited with the loss, pitching six innings and giving up eight hits and three earned runs. James Hollis, director of Alumni Relations at UTA, said planning for the annual night starts a year in advance in order to find an appropriate date with the Rangers and create promotions for the event. “This relationship has existed for several years, and it's an opportunity for us as an institution, UTA, to work with the Rangers to create some sort of special promotion that [gives] an opportunity for everybody to go and enjoy the Rangers game,” Hollis said. Philanthropy major Paul Barton, who attended last year’s UTA Night, said the university creates a conducive experience during community nights, making it easy to socialize with other Mavericks. “I do like to get the hats, and also my wife works the tabling event as well for the donor relations, so I come to hang out with her and then come see all the UTA people,” Barton said. Barton said he purchased the discounted ticket, not only for the ball caps but in support of UTA too. “I feel like just getting the recognition out there because UTA is such a great school and I just want to go around people that love it as well,” he said. @babyboimatt @jwheels_1 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA Volleyball (4-0) earned a nail-biting victory in five sets, 3-2, Thursday night over Santa Clara University (1-2) at College Park Center in the Maverick’s first regular season home game. Coming off last weekend’s sweep, the Mavericks looked to build on their momentum. This was the teams first matchup since 1999 opening the the UTA Classic, a three-game tournament running through Saturday. Before the Thursday night game, the Western Athletic Conference named Brianna Ford as its Player of the Week. Despite the offensive efforts by graduate outsider hitter Ford and middle blocker Paige Reagor in the first set, UTA ultimately dropped the set 26-24. “We ultimately found that rhythm and we were able to ride it out,” head coach J.T. Wenger said. The first set was a nail-biter after both teams each posted 37 attacks. UTA shifted the momentum in the second set after taking an early 10-3 lead. Ford and graduate libero Alyssa Duran helped guide the Mavericks to their first set, 25-25. It was a back-and-forth battle between both teams, but Santa Clara pulled away with the 25-16 victory. UTA battled back and closed out the set on a 5-1 run to even the score, 25-19, and push the game to a decisive fifth set. Ford recorded 25 kills, 15 digs, and 52 attacks. Reagor helped guide UTA with three kills, as the team picked up the 15-13 victory. “Overall we learned that we need to lean on each other,” Ford said. “That first set, it felt like we were all playing alone, like we were not celebrating each other's victories.” Sophomore outside hitter Evyn Snook contributed 14 total attacks, four kills, and six digs. “The grittiness of our team and the willingness to say ‘Yes I’m gonna go’ and not stop at everything, we did a really good job at slowing down who we needed to slow down on their side,” Snook said. Snook said the team took what Santa Clara gave them, and went to work. Volleyball will return to action 6 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center against McNeese State University. @logan_p42 @stephanie_q03