UNT Notes

[mgsteve]

UNT Notes

Softball team progressing

By Scott Mccoy

Special to the Star-Telegram

North Texas is a little more than a week away from the next crucial stage in reviving the softball program, in its first season since disbanding 16 years ago.

UNT opens Sun Belt Conference play April 10 against Florida International.

A nonconference confidence boost hasn't hurt.

The team owns a season-high seven-game winning streak after sweeping a doubleheader with Prairie View A&M on Tuesday.

"Obviously right now, the big thing is our confidence level is up," coach Stacey Segal said. "With us being a first-year program our team is starting to jell and become a lot more comfortable with each other. We proved to ourselves when we put everything together that we have the opportunity to come back and produce."

Before the winning streak, UNT (15-36) had lost 13 of 14 games.

A tournament title helped snap the skid. The Mean Green went 5-1 at the Mean Green/Wells Fargo Classic.

Freshman Katy Maxey was named the Sun Belt Conference pitcher of the week after winning three games at the tournament.

She also hit .400 and had hits in four games.

The Mean Green has a doubleheader at Wichita State on Tuesday before conference play begins.

Record-setting starts

It's still early in the outdoor track and field season, but some team members already are setting standards.

Sophomore distance runner Jessica Schmidt set a school record in the 5,000-meters at the Stanford Invitational. Her time of 16 minutes, 57.13 seconds fell just shy of the NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 16:56.43.

Freshman Ashley Porter tied the school record in the pole vault, clearing a height of 10 feet, 4 inches at the UTA Invitational.

The teams will compete at the Texas Relays today through Friday.

Soccer adds five

The women's soccer team announced the addition of five players: Western Hills forward Heather Hutyra, Carrollton Creekview midfielder Danielle Slavonic, Flower Mound goalkeeper Kandice Ellis, Rockwall defender Lauren Weller and University of Dayton transfer Jamie Yates.

Yates, a forward, started 12 games and scored six goals last season at Dayton.

Briefly

• It took six hours because of rain last week, but the tennis team recorded a 4-3 victory over Abilene Christian -- No. 14 in NCAA Division II.

• The men's golf team will compete in the Border Olympics on Friday and Saturday at Laredo Country Club.

• The women's golf team will compete in the Susie Maxwell Berning Classic April 12-13 in Norman, Okla., as the final tournament before the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

FWST