Posted on October 8, 2014 by Lety Laurel
When classes began this fall at UTSA, two of the college’s newest MBA students had a competitive advantage over their classmates—they are both standout athletes on the UTSA football and basketball teams.
MBA athletes Nicholas Johnston and Jeromie Hill
Nicholas Johnston, ’14 is a safety for the Roadrunner football team and is looking forward to his final year on the team. When he is not training, he is an MBA student in the College of Business.
“I want to focus on having a good semester and gaining a solid background in business,” said Johnston.
As an undergraduate, Johnston combined his interests in sports and business by majoring in exercise science and minoring in business administration. Johnston is pursuing his graduate degree to gain a generalized business education, which will aid his varied professional interests.
“I want to spend the rest of my life working in the business side of sports,” said Johnston. “I’d be interested in managing a team, working in the administration of a team office, or selling merchandise and equipment.”
Several universities recruited Johnston, but he chose UTSA because of the unique opportunity and challenge of being on a brand-new team. “It’s been a bumpy ride, but it’s been a great ride. From our first year, we’ve made a huge jump, and we’re the fastest team ever to do what we’ve done,” said Johnston, who will always remember having the first tackle at the first UTSA football game.
Johnston racked up 15 tackles in the first two games of the season, but he has missed the last three due to injury.
Jeromie Hill, ’14, a native of Cairns, Australia, is a forward on the UTSA basketball team. He completed his BBA in marketing last spring and wanted to continue his academic career in business.
“I always liked being creative and thinking outside of the box,” said Hill. “Marketing allows me to do that. I’m fascinated in learning what makes people do what they do, in relation to consumer purchasing behavior.”
Hill is excited about the upcoming season. “It’s been a rollercoaster,” said Hill. “Freshmen year we won conference, and it was the best I could possibly hope for. Now, I’m older and wiser and know that my actions every day will lead to our success.”
Hill averaged 13.1 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds in his 2012-2013 season. He ranks fourth in school history with 92 starts, sixth with 598 rebounds and seventh with 454 field goals. He became just the sixth player in program history to top 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Depending on how his season progresses, Hill plans on either playing basketball professionally or is interested in applying the skills he’s learned at the College of Business to work professionally in the beverage industry.
“I do want to give basketball a chance and try to play professionally,” said Hill. “But continuing my college education opens up a lot of pathways.”
Both Hill and Johnston have a very busy season and semester ahead of them, but no doubt they will continue to build their business acumen at the College of Business and achieve great things in UTSA athletics.
Molly Miller—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Lety Laurel
