North Texas Daily

Ehsan Azad // Staff Writer

We interviewed seniors from the Mean Green soccer, volleyball and football teams to see how the players are doing now that their final season at UNT is over, what future plans are in place and what they will take away from their experiences here.

How much different is your every day life now? What are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed?

Derek Thompson: Not being with my teammates is the biggest part. They are still my brothers; I will always love this university and I will always feel I was a part of something special here. I tell a lot of guys that I hope they are better than we were.  A 9-4 bowl champion team is pretty special, but I want the guys to win 10 games next year. I want them to continue winning and build this program the way it needs to be. It is fun to sit back and think I ended my career on top, and we’ll see what is next for me.

Kelsey Hodges: Not waking up for 5 a.m. workouts is pretty nice. I don’t miss those very much, especially since it’s cold. Being a regular student is interesting. It’s hard since I have a lot of free time and I don’t know what to do with my free time. I’m still working out, so it’s not too much of a difference, but I am not with the team so I will slowly realize the difference.

Courtney Windham: I play with [the team] in the men’s club volleyball team every Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so I would say there isn’t much of a difference, but I do miss some of the meetings. I live with Hallie [McDonald], who’s on the team, and whenever Hayley gets back from team meetings, I always want to know what’s going on.

What’s your best memory from your time at UNT?

Thompson: Being a Bowl Champion.

Hodges: My best one would be when we won our first [conference] championship here in 2011. I scored the winning goal for that game against [the University of] Denver and it was our last time playing them. They were a big rival. That team that year was a lot of fun and we were very close.

Courtney Windham: When we played Tulane. We beat them in four sets at our gym and we weren’t supposed to win. … That game meant a lot for me because I was coming back from a sprained ankle and I was fighting to get my position back. I think that was the first game I really made an impact and it was the most important win of the season. I got the game ball for playing as well as I did.

What are some plans you have in the making?

Thompson: I got to find a job, that’s first and foremost. I am going to be working on the administration side. That will be new for me. Learning the business side of sports, getting ready for the NFL Combine. This spring will be important for what my future holds.

Hodges: I am looking into trying out for the pro league in February. If that doesn’t work out, I have a degree in marketing. I had an internship in December, so I am looking for anything sports marketing, with a pro team or a college team.

Windham: I have to stay in shape because I plan to play volleyball overseas. Right now, I am working out three days a week, I play four times a week, I have an internship, I coach volleyball on Fridays and Saturdays, I have a job tutoring at the tutor center and I am an academic coach.

Feature photo: Alumnus and former Mean Green quarterback Derek Thompson prepares to throw the ball during the Heart of Dallas bowl game at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1. Photo by Ryan Vance / Contributing Photographer