🤙 The Official Newsletter For UTSA Athletics

Good morning, Roadrunners Fam. Marissa Espinoza and Melody Espinoza, twin freshmen on the UTSA Track & Field team, are natives of San Antonio, but what they have endured on their path to campus was longer and more challenging than most college students could ever imagine. 

The two survived the death of their mother and years of abuse from those who were supposed to protect them before running away from their situation and finding a mentor who changed their life. 

Marissa and Melody embraced running as a means to escape their difficult situation. Following standout prep careers at Brackenridge High School, they joined the Roadrunners in the fall of 2023. Their story of perseverance has earned them the Joey Longoria Inspiration Award.

👟 Go here for the full feature. 🧡

What else can you find in today’s Brew?

⛳️ Camryn Carreon and Daniela Abonce begin the NCAA Bryan Regional today
🥎 Q&A with UTSA Softball’s Jaylen Prichard
​🤙🏼 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 A Matter of Course. UTSA senior Camryn Carreon and sophomore Daniela Abonce will travel to Aggieland to play in the NCAA Bryan Regional, which will be hosted by Texas A&M today-Wednesday, May 6-8, at Traditions Club (par 72/6,376 yards). This is the first time two Roadrunners have received an invitation to compete as individuals in an NCAA Regional in the same year.

Carreon and Abonce are two of six individuals chosen to play in the Bryan Regional along with 12 teams. Carreon will be the No. 2-seeded individual for her fourth consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, while Abonce is slotted as the 5-seed for her first NCAA Regional.

🔼 Jaywalking. Get to know UTSA softball student-athlete Jaylen Prichard in this Q&A.

Q: Why did you choose UTSA? 
Jaylen Prichard: "I chose UTSA because I wanted to be close to home so my family could watch me play for my last two years of softball. When I went on my visit, I loved the culture, and I knew I wanted to be a part of something big and upcoming like this softball program." 

Q: Who is the most influential person in your life? 
Jaylen Prichard: "My dad has been my rock all throughout my career, and I wouldn't be the athlete or person I am without him. He's coached many of my teams early in my career and always pushed me past my limits and made me the woman that I am today." 

Go here for the full Q&A.

🔼 Movin’ On Up. UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos announced Friday that Ashley Poronsky has been promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development/Strategy, calling her a “difference-maker for UTSA Athletics.”

Poronsky oversees the Roadrunner Athletic Fund, UTSA’s athletics development unit, which includes scholarship support for UTSA’s nearly 400 student-athletes, and her responsibilities include philanthropy, capital projects fundraising, donor relations, and the UTSA Athletics Hall of Fame. 

🔼 Stunning Senior Send-Off. Senior Taylor Jensen stepped up and delivered a two-out, walk-off home run in the eighth inning to propel the UTSA softball team past South Florida, 8-5, in an American Athletic Conference Senior Day showdown on Saturday. 

The Roadrunners (15-40, 5-21 The American) bested the Bulls (33-20, 12-13 The American), as senior Jamie Gilbert (7-17) picked up the win in relief. Classmate Kenzi Schultz and freshman Zelinda Camacho also featured in the circle, as the trio combined to scatter four hits and work three strikeouts. 

Unfortunately, the ‘Runners fell to the Bulls in Sunday’s regular-season finale.

🤔 UTSA TRIVIA

🤙 ONE BIG THING

More News From the Circle 🟠. Let’s hear it again for the seniors from the UTSA softball team—Birds Way Up! 🤙🏼

Also, UTSA Athletics would like to thank all the generous UTSA Roadrunners Athletic Fund donors who attended the '24 Coaches Circle. Want to be included in future events and make the most of your membership? Call a member of the RAF team at 210-458-4483 or go here to send a gift today.

📬 SPREAD THE WORD

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📅 COMING SOON

Monday 5/6
⛳️ Women’s Golf @ NCAA Bryan Regional | LIVE SCORING

Tuesday 5/7
⛳️ Women’s Golf @ NCAA Bryan Regional | LIVE SCORING

Wednesday 5/8
⛳️ Women’s Golf @ NCAA Bryan Regional | LIVE SCORING

Thursday 5/9
(No Activities Scheduled)

Friday 5/10
👟 Track & Field @ AAC Outdoor Championships | TICKETS | CHAMPIONSHIPS WEBSITE | TICKETS | LIVE RESULTS
⚾️ Baseball vs. South Florida - Faculty Appreciation @ 6:00 PM CST ESPN+ | LIVE STATS 

🤙🏼 Go here for the full UTSA Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: UTSA has advanced to the NCAA postseason 10 times as a team or individual.

Camryn Carreon and Daniela Abonce’s participation in this year’s NCAA Bryan Regional marks UTSA’s sixth consecutive NCAA appearance after qualifying as a team for four straight tournaments (the 2020 season was canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

🤙🏼 Have a great Monday, y’all!