Maverick Athletics open new era for University

There is no better time for UNO Maverick athletics fans than right now. The soccer team won a share of the Summit League regular season in only their fourth season as a program. Also, the hockey team won their first NCAA postseason game and made it to the Frozen Four and the baseball team is in search of its third regular season title in a row. These recent successes have had a big impact on the fandom at the university. More students can be seen wearing Maverick gear or showing up to UNO games to support their fellow student-athletes.

Maverick players celebrate with Jake Guentzal after scoring
the only goal for Omaha in Boston.

That camaraderie has spread far beyond athletics and is helping this school achieve its goal of erasing the "commuter school" title that has been held over its head. Students have begun to converse more, we are seeing less headphones and staring at the ground while walking anywhere on campus. This is also big for our goal of 20,000 students by 2020. When potential students come to visit this campus, they probably already have the typical stereotypes in their head. Seeing these teams do well and put UNO on the map is going to benefit everyone in the long run, no one moreso than our students and faculty.

With national and local eyes on the university, a buzz unlike any we've seen in the past and a new 7,500 seat community arena set to open in October, UNO has the perfect opportunity to build on their recent momentum. One thing is for certain, people are noticing what this once fledgling school has to offer, and they're not prepared to stand down to anyone.