The Texas A&M judo team will host the National Collegiate Judo Association Southwest Regional on Saturday, March 2 beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Physical Education Activity Program building. 

A&M judo competes in the region that includes athletes from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico. Registration and weighing begins Friday, March 1 from 7-8 p.m. in PEAP and again Saturday 8-9 a.m. before the competition begins.

Athletes from Texas Tech and other Texas teams will be looking to test their abilities against the Texas A&M judo team, coach Bob Perez said. 

Perez said he has high confidence in his team and has mentally prepared them for the competition. 

Perez said how one speaks to competitors is key to providing “moral support” to prepare them for matches.  

They have many obstacles ahead of them, including mental mistakes or injuries — from broken bones to head injuries — that can dictate whether the team will have enough athletes for each weight class, Perez said.

Aggie athletes to watch on Saturday include applied mathematics sophomore Paolo Maaskant, Blinn Team sophomore Steven “Joey” Salazar and economics sophomore Tyler Moore, who finished 9-2 at the team’s Feb. 24 competition. 

“We want our athletes to win,” Perez said. “But I want them to get in their comfort zone and try to make less mental mistakes than they did last time.”  

Any full-time student is eligible for the 2023 NCJA SW Championships, including undergraduate and graduate students. Eligibility includes USA Judo, USJA, USJF and ATJA, and USA Judo membership is available at the event registration.

For more information, visit AggieJudo.com or follow @TexasAggieJudo.

Jordan Johnson is a sociology senior and contributed this article from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.