Game On: Inside the Competitive World of Aggie Sport Clubs

As their skates tried to find purchase in the ice rink, six Texas A&M University student athletes vigorously bodychecked the opposing team, locking hockey sticks in an effort to control the puck and win the championship.

While not as well known as the university’s NCAA athletic teams, Texas A&M Ice Hockey has successfully gone toe-to-toe with outstanding collegiate teams from across the nation, building an enviable record since its initial founding in 1982 and reconstitution in 1997. Over the past five years, the club has reached the Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference championship game four times, including hoisting the winner’s trophy in 2020 and 2022.

Its success has gained attention in Aggieland. “About 8,000 to 10,000 fans attend home games throughout the season,” said Mason Burdett ’26, a nuclear engineering major and the club’s president.
 

But its 27 undergraduate and graduate students are just a small percentage of the 1,500 Aggies who proudly don a maroon-and-white uniform to participate in sport clubs. Now, with the 2025 addition of disc golf, Texas A&M’s Sport Clubs Program offers 40 sports where student athletes can compete at an intercollegiate level.

The Gold Standard

Housed under the Division of Student Affairs’ Department of Rec Sports, the Sport Clubs Program has captured more than 400 national championships over five decades and has included Olympic and Tour de France-caliber athletes.

As a result, sport clubs, like their Aggie NCAA brethren, serve as the university’s “front porch” by introducing the nation’s top athletes to Texas A&M. “When these programs achieve the stature of our Trap and Skeet Club, for example, which has won three of the last five national championships in sporting clays, it’s a magnet to pull in some great students from all over the country,” said Billy Lemmons ’83, who along with his wife, Angie ’84, has endowed scholarships to support the club.
 

The Lemmonses also appreciate how sport clubs offer opportunities for students to develop key personal skills. In some cases, that’s through trying something new. While many clubs hold competitive tryouts filled with experienced athletes, others — such as fencing, crew and women’s lacrosse — welcome beginners who want to learn the sport.  

Stepping Up to the Plate 

Much of students’ growth also comes through embracing leadership opportunities. Each club’s executive team makes decisions on roster, finances, scheduling and marketing, with support from administrators. “I have to communicate with my officers and distinguish what I need to do versus what needs to be delegated,” said Rebecca Rodriguez ’26, a biomedical sciences major and president of the Women’s Club Soccer Team, which made the national quarterfinals in 2024-25. “Because of my role, I’ve gained so much confidence in making decisions.”

Some officers also have club-specific duties. Take the Texas A&M Polo Club, which considers the health of 22 horses in addition to 70 Aggies. “It’s not like another sport where it’s students alone; our horses are also our athletes,” said Emma Allen ’26, a sociology major and the club’s president. “You can have the best polo player in the world, but if their horse isn’t in shape or they’re not sound to ride, you can’t do anything. Caring for our horses is our utmost priority.”
 

As a result, the Polo Club spends $800 a week on horse feed. While other clubs don’t have that kind of regular expense, they do have to cover facility costs, travel, equipment and a coaching stipend. A divisional funding allotment helps, but teams still charge dues and fundraise to cover budgetary gaps. “Operational funding and scholarships for students to cover dues, which can get into the thousands for some teams, are our biggest funding needs,” said Sport Clubs director Keith Joseph, adding that finances and facility space limitations sometimes prohibit clubs from serving more members.

Still, these student athletes value the opportunity to continue to compete in the sport they love while pursuing their college education at a Tier One institution. “Even at NCAA Division III schools, those guys are on the ice five days a week and travel farther than we do for games,” Burdett said. “It would have been a lot harder to manage my studies while playing hockey at that level. Texas A&M’s Sport Clubs Program offers students like me the best of both worlds.”

Fast Facts: Texas A&M Sport Clubs