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Of all the classes, the sophomore gets forgotten the most in college sports. Prolific freshman and redshirts get a lot of added value due to their classification, and upper classmen are the
top performers on their teams in most cases. Unless a sophomore has a huge year or has interest lingering from their freshman year, they will likely be forgotten. However, UH’s class of 2020
refuses to be looked over. First let’s start with the most prolific of all the sophomores, Ed Oliver. His résumé speaks for itself. In 2 years, he has 12 pass defenses and 139 tackles. He
was a top five defensive linemen in both seasons, and his latest season he was awarded the Outland award for being the country’s best interior D-lineman. He plans on taking his talents to
the professional stage after his junior season, and many analysists predict that he will go in the first round of the NFL draft. His production has helped UH have two winning seasons and
bowl appearances in a row. While the class 2020 was pushing things on the field, it was also pushing things on the court. Armoni Brooks, a sophomore on men’s basketball team was an integral
part of the success they found. He was ranked fifth in the conference for 3-point field goal percentage, and he was given the 6th man of the year award for his performance. Jasmyne Harris
was also putting in work for the women’s team. She averaged 19.6 points per game and also led the team in total assists. This past season she got her career high in points, rebounds, steals
and assists within a game. She was often called upon to carry the offense as she led the team in points in many games. Jasmyne’s partner in crime, Angela Harris, also helped carry the
burdens on the team. She was only one assist behind Jasmyne for the season, with 114, but she also only gave ball away 90 times. She also was second on the team for scoring per game 14.9.
She was also the main defensive presence for the team. She was in the top five in the American Conference for steals. Her and Jasmyne were the stars on a good UH women’s and led them to a
20-win season. The sophomores not only dominate on the field and the court, but also in the diamond. Trystan Melancon has pitched her way into relevance at UH. The softball team’s
performance has been at a high level, and it has been helped by Melancon’s performance. After her first season with the Cougars, she landed on the all-rookie team. Her freshman year she
recorded 93 strikeouts and threw a complete game against Texas Southern. She is looking to lead the team to another conference championship. The sophomore class is also making waves in the
pool. Laura Laderoute is a standout performer on the women’s swimming team. In her freshman year, she was named to the All-American Athletic Conference Team for six events. She competed in
seven total events in last year’s conference championship, and she took home gold in the 200-yard individual medley. She shares UH’s record times in 3 events, and is the sole owner of the
fastest 100-yard backstroke time in program history. Laderoute is a big reason why the Cougars have won the conference championship in back-to-back seasons. The class of 2020 has been an
integral of all of the sports teams on campus. They are looking to be one of the most influential classes in recent history. If they continue the success they’ve had up to this point, they
will be able to etch their names into the school’s history.