The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS) dubbed February 3, National Girls & Women in Sports Day. They note that 82% of women executives participated in sports at one time in their lives beyond elementary school.

Ursuline student-athletes are constantly hitting goals and working hard. We celebrate them today and acknowledge their impressive athletic achievements. 

Amanda Hogan ’22 got her start in the running world when she was 11-years-old running kid’s triathlons. Now, seven years later, she participates on the UA Cross Country and Track teams.

Practices can easily turn into the highlight of her day because of the fun atmosphere her teammates and coaches create. She attributes that to having supportive coaches and teammates who all motivate each other toward success.

“The best feeling is finishing a race with nothing left and getting a new Personal Record,” she said. “I love running because you can always improve yourself!”

Her most memorable moment? Her freshman year State Track Meet.

“I came into the mile race seeded second to last and finished with a personal record time and won the race, too!” she said. “This race instilled so much confidence in me, and from then I knew that running was my sport.”

She understands that participating in sports is a mental game and she often reminds herself, “no regrets, no regrets, finish strong.”

Kyle Dobbs ’21 is about to hit an exciting career milestone! She is right around the corner from making 100 goals for her UA Varsity Soccer career. A Forward on the team, she’s been playing the sport since she was four-years-old.

Her dad is not only her favorite athlete, but he also taught her one of life’s biggest lessons. He instilled in her the valuable lesson of what being a true teammate really means, “No player is bigger than the team.”

And appreciate her team, she does. Kylie notes that her teammates make it easier to wake up and run around every morning at 6:15 a.m. practice.

“The positive environment is worth it!” she said. “Everyone has a pretty good attitude, so it’s easy to make practice fun and exciting.”

When asked about her exciting career milestone, she says she tries not to think about the numbers but moreso about how she can better the team.

“I wouldn’t have gotten this far without my teammates, coaches, and parents,” she said. “They have pushed me and encouraged me every step of the way.”

Maddie Davis '24 is ranked 6th in DFW for number of 3-pointer shots made.

Her first team was a recreation team through Plano Sports Authority as a four-year-old. She fell in love with the sport, and now 11 years later, is Point Guard for the Ursuline Varsity BasketBEARS.

This season, her favorite basketball moment was making a half court buzzer beater before halftime at her first Varsity game as a freshman against Nolan Catholic. She’s also proud of how much she’s improved on her defense.

“My confidence continues to grow every single game.” She said. “It took a little time to adjust to Varsity’s playing style and pace of play, but I feel like I have really begun to gel with my team and work to find open shots for both myself and my teammates.”

Some phrases she lives by?

DGOW (Don’t Get Out Worked) and “See a little, see a lot. See a lot, see nothing.” She loves to visualize her shots and is committed to working hard to perfecting her craft.

Go Bears!