[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10905]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-VICTORIA JAGUARS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2008

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate The University 
of Houston--Victoria (UHV) Jaguars softball team on an amazing 
inaugural season. The Jaguars completed the season with a 32-18 record 
and finished fourth in Region VI of the National Association of 
Intercollegiate Athletics, missing the national tournament by one slot.
  The Jaguars faced a strong slate of contenders in the regular season, 
including 14 nationally recognized opponents, nine of which fell to the 
Jaguars. The team also defeated NCAA teams Houston Baptist University 
and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
  ``You've got to beat the best to be the best,'' head coach Keri 
Lambeth always tells her players, and the Jaguars showed they are more 
than capable of competing with the best. On March 17, the softball team 
ranked No.4 in 18-team Region VI in the first season poll based on 
play, marking the first rating of a UHV sporting team. On March 19, the 
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) ranked the 
softball team No. 15 in the Nation. The team ended the season in the 
same impressive position.
  The players didn't just work hard on the field. Coach Lambeth 
demanded academic and civic excellence. The players were required to 
attend a number of study hall hours every week based on their grade-
point averages. A perfect 4.0 required 10 hours, while anything less 
required increasingly more. The players also met with Coach Lambeth 
each week to discuss how their classes were going and what kind of 
grades they were earning. As a result, a third of the team is expected 
to hold a 4.0 GPA this semester, and most of the team members are 
expected to appear on the UHV Dean's List for the spring semester.
  As Coach Lambeth always tells her players, ``We're not just here to 
play sports. We are here for an education first and foremost.''
  As part of their civic activities, the players participated in a 
mentoring program in which they tutored at-risk elementary school 
students in reading, and middle and high school students in remedial 
math. The players also served as role models and life coaches to these 
students. Many players put in hours above and beyond what was required 
by the mentoring program.
  Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to fom1ally congratulate the women 
of the Jaguars on their accomplishments, both on and off the softball 
field, in their historic first season. I would also like to insert the 
Jaguars roster into the of the team into the Congressional Record: 
Jessica Salas, Erin Litvik, Samantha Campagna, Kristen Lindley, Curby 
Ryan, Lindsey Ferguson, Lauren Garza, Chelsi Fitzgerald, Kasey Voyles, 
Cayla Dluhos, Ashley Falco, Stephanie Lavey, Amber Scott, Whitney 
Damborsky, Brittany Faas.

                          ____________________