UTSA women set to open at home today against Abilene Christian

Kyra White at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA junior Kyra White is leading the team in averaging 34 minutes through the team’s first two games. White, a transfer from Southern Cal, played in high school at Judson. — Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners are looking for their first win of the season today. In their home opener, they’ll host the Abilene Christian University Wildcats of the Western Athletic Conference at 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

In the Wildcats (2-1), the Roadrunners (0-2) will look to defeat a team that won by 19 points in last season’s matchup at Abilene.

Not only is it the first home game in Aston’s second season at UTSA, it’s also the first at home for Southern Cal transfer Jordyn Jenkins, an all-Pac 12 player last season. The 6-1 junior forward is one of eight newcomers on the Roadrunners’ roster.

Additionally, former San Antonio-area athletes Kyra White, Sidney Love and Alexis Parker will get their first opportunity to play in front of the home fans.

White, also a USC transfer, is from Judson. Love (from Steele High School) and Parker (Brandeis) are two of five UTSA freshman on this year’s team.

The Roadrunners have played two games on the road and have dropped both to in-state opponents. They fell 68-63 at Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 7, and then they dropped a 74-67 decision at TCU last Wednesday.

Programs in transition

As UTSA prepares to transition from Conference USA and into the American Athletic Conference next year, Abilene Christian is also going through changes.

Julie Goodenaugh is entering her 11th season as coach of the Wildcats. A former coach at Hardin-Simmons, she returned to Abilene in 2012, and in her first season at ACU, she guided her team to an NCAA Division II regional.

As the Wildcats moved into Division I and the Southland Conference in 2014-15, she continued to have success, leading ACU to 20-win seasons and into the Women’s NIT in two straight years, in 2016 and 2017.

In 2019, Goodenaugh’s team became the first in school history to reach the D-1 NCAA tournament. In 2019-20 season, when the Covid pandemic forced a suspension of play in the playoffs, the Wildcats finished 24-5.

Last season, the Wildcats finished 17-13 in their first year in the WAC. They defeated the Roadrunners 72-53 in Abilene.

Signings

UTSA announced that three players have signed letters of intent for the 2022-23 season:

Idara Udo — 6-1 forward, Plano, Plano East High School
Emma Lucio — 5-9 guard, Edinburg, Robert Vela High School
Aysia Proctor — 5-9 guard, Schertz, Samuel Clemens High School