The University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners are moving up in the college sports world.
The school announced today it will be joining the American Athletic Conference. The student body is excited about the move and the future of UTSA's athletic programs.
The move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference means more exposure to national audiences, not just for athletics, but for academics as well.
The Roadrunners are enjoying the national spotlight as their undefeated football team became nationally ranked for the first time in its young program history.
"I don't know if you can feel any other way than totally pumped," Ethan Marshi, a junior studying computer science with a minor in cybersecurity, told KENS 5.
Marshi says you can feel the energy on campus as UTSA has spent time and resources building its brand as a college athletics program. He says one of the biggest accomplishments was UTSA's new sports facility, the Roadrunner Athletics Center for Excellence.
“Talking to athletes...they felt like UTSA started reaching out and caring more about their athletics teams, I think [the university] doing that spurred on people to come here, and for players to step up their game,” Marshi said.
UTSA will be one of six new members leaving Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference.
The shift is a result of UCF, Cincinnati and Houston leaving the American for the Big 12, filling the potential void after Oklahoma and UT-Austin depart the Big 12 for the SEC.
The American Athletic Conference said in its press release that it selected UTSA not just due to its athletics program, but for being a good public research university.
Freshman Parker Gauthier says his college years couldn't start on a better note.
“I think it’s exciting. As a freshman, it’s nice to have a team go 7-0 my first year here. [There will be] bigger competition, and I’m excited to see the football team grow,” Gauthier said.
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