Golf tournament to raise funds for Jaguars
The Victoria Country Club will host the second annual Jaguars Invitational Golf Tournament and Celebrity Roast starting at 10 a.m. on Monday to benefit UHV Athletics.
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| Former Astros manager Phil Garner, far right, works on his swing before the start of the 2007 Jaguars Invitational Golf Tournament. |
At 5:30 p.m., guests can attend a dinner and roast of Dierker, former Astros pitcher and manager. The evening will include silent and live auctions with items such as dinner with former Astros Craig Biggio and Phil Garner.
“We have college athletics in Victoria because of the strong support of the community,” Athletic Director Ashley Walyuchow said.
The Athletics program is dependent upon contributions and local support, Walyuchow said.
“The support and vision from the community allowed the Jaguars to go from ‘dream to team’ in record time,” UHV President Tim Hudson said. That support, combined with strong leadership at the university, allowed Athletics to go from an idea mentioned at a staff retreat to a team on the field in less than two years.
Last year’s event raised about $93,000 for the fledgling baseball and softball programs, UHV Vice President Dick Phillips said.
Money raised at last year’s tournament allowed local fans to enjoy the thrill of live baseball and softball and cheer the home teams through an amazing season, Walyuchow said.
The Jaguars softball team finished the season 32-18 and made UHV’s first postseason appearance earlier this month by going to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Region VI Softball Tournament, he said. The women finished their first season ranked fourth in the region and 15th in the nation, he said.
The baseball team earned a 33-7 record and saw crowds many times the size of those seen at other NAIA schools.
“We were told to expect 80 people at a game,” Walyuchow said. “We exceeded that many times over at our home games and sometimes had about that many Jaguars fans at away games.”
The Jaguars attracted capacity crowds to Riverside Stadium and the St. Joseph-O’Connor Athletic Complex.
Space still is available for those who wish to participate and support the Jaguars’ future endeavors.
Entry fees for the tournament are $1,200 for a team of four and include eight tickets to the roast. Individual entry fees are $300 per person and include one ticket to the roast. Roast tickets are available for $100 each.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Debbie Griffiths in UHV Athletics at 361-570-4336 or go to uhvjaguars.com.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
